Morocco, The Netherlands to Produce Drinking Water from Thin Air

The Netherlands and Morocco are using technology to solve a major hindrance for nations with large desert landmasses, availability of water.

Morocco’s General Director of the National Office for Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) Abderrahim El Hafidi discussed the project with Dutch ambassador to Morocco Jeroen Roodenburg.

The two countries are working on a pilot cooperative project that will make the production of drinking water possible by catching the humidity in air using innovative technologies.

The project is a component of a global partnership agreement between Morocco and the Netherlands in May 2019.

The project is part of ONEE’s research and innovation activity in order to develop innovative strategies to address drinking water challenges.

ONEE said the project focuses on the production of drinking water “from unconventional resources (air humidity and brackish water) and this, with a view to supplying small communities devoid of surface water resources.”

The partnership agreement provides for the testing and installation of five pilot units at different sites across Morocco.

ONEE said that the first pilot is being tested at the Rabat office of the International Institute for Water and Sanitation.

The first results of the test will be available within a month and will identify the three main decision-making parameters for expanding the initiative on a larger scale, including the cost, quantity, and quality of the produced water, ONEE explained.

Talks between the Moroccan and Dutch officials also included a discussion on means to strengthen cooperation.

The scarcity of drinking water is among the priority challenges Morocco is working to address.

Morocco’s government announced on Tuesday that investments in drinking water and electricity  by ONEE reached over $800 million in 2020.

The overall investment budget included $403 million for drinking water and liquid sanitation.