German tech to augment Auroville drinking water supply

Auroville’s drinking water shortage is set to be mitigated with German collaboration.

According to a press note, Samuel, a technical lead from Germany, is in Auroville to spearhead the implementation of Atmosbox, a pioneering decentralised water solution that extracts clean drinking water directly from the air using Atmospheric Water Generation (AWG).

The first system is currently being installed at the Auroville Visitors Centre. While the project’s primary mission is to solve water scarcity, Samuel’s visit has ignited a powerful synergy with Stem Land, turning a clean-water initiative into a cross-continental bridge for high-tech innovation, Auroville said.

The system can also filter locally available water sources such as groundwater on site. Future upgrades will also enable rainwater treatment and purification. The system is a fully containerised unit powered by a 13kW solar array and battery storage, allowing it to operate 24/7 independently of the electrical grid.

Each unit produces 500 liters of water daily, based on field-tested AWG principles, filtered and dynamised by AquaDyn. Beyond AWG production, the system can filter up to 250 liters per hour from locally available sources.

Mr. Samuel who was briefed on the ongoing programmes to train rural youth in technologies at the Science Technology Engineering Mathematics Land (STEM Land), noted that the technology hub, with its strong semiconductor design and development, could be a partner for Atmosbox for implementing technical upgrades in India, the press note said.

STEM Land, which in partnership with Sri Aurobindo International Institute of Educational Research (SAIIER), seeks to create a cycle where youth learn, grow, work, and teach, expects that integrating its chip design expertise with Atmosbox’s water systems, would empower the community to not only manage the hardware but to engineer the next generation of global sustainability tools, the note said.