Khadim Al Darei, vice-chairman and co-founder of Al Dahra Holding and Michael Mirilashvili, CEO and president of Watergen, sign the agreement. Wam
Khadim Al Darei, vice-chairman and co-founder of Al Dahra Holding and Michael Mirilashvili, CEO and president of Watergen, sign the agreement. Wam
Khadim Al Darei, vice-chairman and co-founder of Al Dahra Holding and Michael Mirilashvili, CEO and president of Watergen, sign the agreement. Wam
Khadim Al Darei, vice-chairman and co-founder of Al Dahra Holding and Michael Mirilashvili, CEO and president of Watergen, sign the agreement. Wam

Making water from air: Abu Dhabi and Israeli companies sign agreement


Shuchita Gautam
  • English
  • Arabic

An Abu Dhabi company has signed a partnership with an Israeli firm to produce water from the air, it was announced on Thursday.

The UAE’s Al Dahra Holding, a company that produces animal feed and food products, and Watergen, the Israeli firm that develops water-from-air solutions, signed the agreement to enhance the Emirates' water security.

Air-to-water technology converts humidity in the air to water.

Both companies will work to create a renewable source of water for human and agricultural consumption.

The two companies agreed to establish a permanent centre in Abu Dhabi for manufacturing and distributing drinking and irrigation water production equipment.

Watergen has developed a technology to produce water from the air and patented the world's most energy-efficient atmospheric water generator (AWG).

The agreement was signed after a delegation of the UAE company visited Israel in October 2020.

It will help provide large quantities of drinking water and water used in the irrigation of farms, parks, reserves, ranches and remote areas.

The five-year project will be developed and adjusted to accommodate the UAE desert environment.

An AWG can produce up to 5,000 litres of water per day.

"Al Dahra aims to find sustainable and comprehensive environmental solutions that will protect the environment and support sustainable development programmes in the UAE," said Khadim Al Darei, vice-chairman and co-founder of Al Dahra Holding.

He said the technology will help create renewable water sources instead of digging wells or water desalination.

"Our visit to Abu Dhabi is due to the long-awaited Abraham Accord, which was signed by the UAE and Israel to establish stability in the region and normalise the ties between the two countries," said Michael Mirilashvili, CEO and president of Watergen.

AWGs have an internal water treatment system and can operate without any special infrastructure.

Large-scale AWGs are designed for towns, villages, factories, off-grid settlements and rural communities.

They can also be installed on rooftops, helping to decentralise the supply of safe drinking water in areas that have insufficient water infrastructure.

AWGs with capacities of up to 800 litres of water per day can be used in offices and smaller ones of 30 litres in homes.

Signing of the Abraham Accord in pictures

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French business

France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.

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NOVAK DJOKOVIC
19 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 5 (2011, 14, 15, 18, 19)
French Open: 2 (2016, 21)
US Open: 3 (2011, 15, 18)
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20 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 8 (2003, 04, 05, 06, 07, 09, 12, 17)
French Open: 1 (2009)
US Open: 5 (2004, 05, 06, 07, 08)
Australian Open: 6 (2004, 06, 07, 10, 17, 18)
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RAFAEL NADAL
20 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 2 (2008, 10)
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US Open: 4 (2010, 13, 17, 19)
Australian Open: 1 (2009)
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What is Reform?

Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.

It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.

Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.

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Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.

The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.

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In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

UK's plans to cut net migration

Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.

Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.

But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.

Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.

Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.

The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.