Presented by
The Kumulus Project: Bringing Clean Water to Remote Communities in Africa
The African Development Bank (AfDB) 2023 Annual Meetings took place in Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt in May, showcasing the many initiatives the organisation is championing across the continent. The Kumulus project has emerged as one of these innovative enterprises with great potential.
Issued on:
Only one in four Africans has access to a safe source of drinking water*, according to the UN. This figure highlights the scale of the water scarcity crisis that Africa is facing today.
As climate change continues to exacerbate water scarcity, a series of new startups in Africa are coming up with innovative technologies in a bid to address the situation.
These initiatives include the Franco-Tunisian Kumulus project. Kumulus aims to supply machines that produce drinking water in remote areas in Africa. These machines harvest moisture from the atmosphere and convert it to drinking water. Indeed, it is estimated that the atmosphere contains around six times as much water as all the rivers in the world**, according to the United Nations Environment Programme.
The Kumulus smart machine looks like an amphora and weighs roughly 60 kilos, making it easy to transport in a pick-up truck and easy to install. It produces up to 30 litres of drinking water every day and can be connected to electrical grids or to solar panels in remote areas of Africa. This machine should enable local populations to live independently with their own drinking water source.
A Tunisian project backed by the AfDB
"In addition to capturing moisture from the air, we treat the collected water with multiple filters, add mineral salts to make it safe for consumption, and then pass it through a UV filter just before it comes out of the tap to kill off the bacteria," explains Abid Mohamed Ali, co-founder of the Franco-Tunisian project based in Tunis, Paris and Madrid. "We have placed sensors throughout the machine to receive data and adjust the water treatment based on the air quality."
In June 2023, the Kumulus project placed its first four solar-powered amphorae in an elementary school in Bazma, in the governorate of Kebili, Tunisia. With the support of governments, development banks, and private sector partners, Kumulus has the potential to be a game-changer for millions of people.
For Iheb Triki, cofounder of the company, Kumulus’s potential is endless***: "My dream is that every family can have its own water source, a sustainable source, its own Kumulus. We are getting there."
The African continent is coming together and developing its innovation ecosystem more and more. The African Development Bank is supporting African countries and mobilising the private sector to finance green growth in Africa.
More information about The African Development Bank here.
Sources:
**https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/water-air
***https://www.afdb.org/en/success-stories/kumulus-technology-creating-water-thin-air-60313
Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning
Subscribe