What if a machine could create clean, drinkable water out of thin air?
Jimson Chingore, a Zimbabwean entrepreneur based in South Africa, has invented a solar-powered device that does just that.
"This model extracts liquid water from the air's moisture using active refrigeration," Chingore told Zimpapers, via Business Daily. "We cool air below its dew point and collect pure water."
According to a 2024 study published in the journal Science, an estimated 4.4 billion people in 135 low- and middle-income countries lack access to safe drinking water.
With his seemingly miraculous invention, Chingore has sought to drastically reduce that number.
His company, Elemen Tec, showcased the technology at the Global Expo Botswana 2025. Some have heralded the creation as a "decentralised miracle," per Business Daily.
The invention has the potential to help the most in dry regions and in areas with inadequate water infrastructure. Access to safe, clean drinking water is not only essential to human survival but also a prerequisite for economic development.
In some parts of the world, people can spend hours a day procuring enough water for themselves and their families.
"These challenges slow down economic development and hit hardest on women and girls who walk long distances daily to fetch water," said Chingore, per Business Daily.
As average global temperatures rise and populations increase, access to drinking water has become a growing concern.
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Definitely 👍 "Extreme weather events are making water more scarce, more unpredictable, more polluted or all three," according to the U.N. "These impacts throughout the water cycle threaten sustainable development, biodiversity, and people's access to water and sanitation."
As the world gets hotter, heat waves and droughts have become more extreme, making water scarcer in some regions.
Additionally, higher temperatures have fueled more powerful storms. Somewhat counterintuitively, the resulting flooding can actually decrease access to clean water. This is because flood waters can contaminate drinking water supplies with sewage and other harmful substances, per the U.N.
Chingore has also built a solar-powered machine that purifies contaminated water. With these two off-grid devices, Chingore is trying to address both the lack of water and water safety concerns.
If innovative technologies like Chingore's can be rolled out at scale, they have the potential to improve billions of lives while also boosting local economies.
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