Category: Press

Telegraph India

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Eye-popping products at EZCC show.

Drinking water out of thin air. That is what one of the stalls claimed to produce with a machine called Atmospheric Water Generator.

WATER FROM AIR

Drinking water out of thin air. That is what one of the stalls claimed to produce with a machine called Atmospheric Water Generator.

“You don’t need any natural or artificial source of water be it a tap, a tank, a pond or a river,” smiled the man at the counter.

AKVO, a Calcutta-based company, manufactures drinking water using a air-to-water technology which replicates the natural process of condensation by simulating the dew point, which allows it to produce water continuously.

The machine produces water ranging from 30 to 1,000 litres, depending on the product specification, from atmospheric moisture in the air and filters out the dust and micro particles in air through a powerful organic filtrating process. It reportedly has litle maintenance cost, unlike other purifiers.

“Decline in rainfall, depletion of fresh water resources and increase in population are posing great threats to humanity. In the days to come, when we will have to face water scarcity, such a product would be a blessing,” the company official at the stall said.

The machine that produces 30l daily will cost Rs 60-70,000 and will be available in a couple of months. The 100l Akvo is available in the market and costs about Rs 1 lakh. Orders are coming in from Dubai and South Africa, he said.

Read the article here: Telegraph India

Entrepreneur India

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This Second Generation Entrepreneur is Striving to Solve India’s Impending Water Crisis

The young-preneur plans to work on other sources of water, energy and renewables that can take us to the next step of sustainability.

There is a saying that being an entrepreneur isn’t just about starting a business, but about looking at an opportunity, grasping it with both hands and following it through. This is the philosophy that drives this second generation entrepreneur who has been striving to bring in innovation and diversification ever since he joined the family business in September 2007.

There are many things which a person learns as an entrepreneur and it does not change with respect to one being a first generation or second generation, the challenges are similar. It is always the thought process which makes all the difference. His father and mentor, Harbans Singh Bagga, founder, Trishan Group of Companies and an enthusiast for diversification – Navkaran Singh Bagga always had the opportunity to be a risk-taker.

Trishan Group, with an annual turnover of approximately INR 95 Crores, is a diversified group of companies with interests in International Trade, Hospitality and High Precision CRCA Steel. Established in 1999 with its flagship company Trishan Exports Pvt Ltd, with International Trade in Export and Import of Bicycles and various Engineering Goods, the group diversified into hospitality with the Dee Empresa Hotel in 2007. Further Expansion has led the group into the acquisition of Walzen Steel Pvt Ltd. now Trishan Metals Pvt Ltd.

The Innovator

Presently Navkaran is the Director of Trishan Exports Pvt. Ltd, and also the Director at Trishan Metals Pvt. Ltd. which a joint venture with IFB Industries Ltd. for manufacturing specialised Automotive Grade Steel. Currently, he is also the Chairman of Alfa Network, the Youth Forum of ASSOCHAM which has a clear focus on promoting Entrepreneurship in India.

Though tough, Navkaran Singh enjoys the challenges that come with handling multiple businesses. “The rule that I follow is to love what you do. If you don’t love it, you will never have the capability or the inclination to look beyond the obstacles and the difficulties,” he enthused,

In addition to managing the diverse verticals of the family business, this young-preneur has now come up with an innovation to solve the growing water crisis of the country. Navkaran is currently working on AKVO, which promises to provide safe and pure drinking water using the AWG (Atmospheric Water Generator) technology.

Providing Solutions to an Impending National Crisis

According to a report by WaterAid, a global advocacy group on water and sanitation; India has around 63.4 million people living in rural areas without access to clean water. That is more than the combined population of Punjab, Haryana and Uttarakhand. With 67% of India’s population living in the rural areas and 7% of the rural population living without access to clean water, India’s rural poor are highly vulnerable to the effects of extreme weather events and climate change.

16% of India’s rural families have piped water. Only 26.9 million out of 167.8 million households (16%) in rural India have piped water, according to data provided by the ministry of drinking water and sanitation to the Rajya Sabha (upper house of Parliament) on February 6, 2017.

AKVO replicates the natural process of condensation by simulating a dew point, which allows it to make water continuously, even in low humidity conditions. The endeavour is to combat water issues experienced worldwide by providing environmentally conscious water options to homes, businesses, industries and in an emergency situation as a complete disaster relief solution.

Being the Change one Wants to See

Navkaran has always been very environmentally conscious and has always strived to use the best environmental practices in his personal life. The thought of generating safe drinking water had always intrigued him as he read about the growing water crisis across India.

“Once I looked into this untapped source of water, I engaged a research team to study the possibility of building a system. It took me over a year to build the first running machine. After a thorough research on Indian climate, the market viability, competitors and the industry the development aspect of the AWG machine was initiated,” shared Navkaran.

Team AKVO, headed by Navkaran, includes 10 members for R&D and has Pradeep Verma, an ex- Berkshire Hathaway, who has joined as Head of Global Business.

“We must bring about a change in the agriculture sector. I plan to think, innovate and invest in newer and cost-efficient technologies while using the earth’s natural resources as a platform. The technology used by AKVO must find its way towards common usage where it can be effectively used, such as in hospitals, railways and municipalities, as a source of potable water. Besides, it must reach the rural populace and find large-scale use in India by 2050. I also intend to work on other sources of water, energy and renewables that can take us to the next step of sustainability,” concluded the young Bagga.

Read the article here: Entrepreneur.com

India Education Diary

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AKVO presents India’s most cost efficient and indigenously manufactured Atmospheric Water Generator

Bhubaneswar: Currently India holds the undesirable title of having the highest number of rural people without access to clean water. Although being home to nearly a sixth of the world’s population, India only gets 4% of the Earth’s fresh water. Already more than half of Asia’s third-biggest economy faces high water stress. By 2030, demand is expected to outstrip supply by around 50%. With scientists and geologists trying to find avenues to arrest the attrition of groundwater and climate change, it is time our Country gets its first indigenously manufactured Atmospheric Water Generator (AWG) technology. Designed by Kolkata, AKVO, a unit of Trishan Exports Pvt. Ltd. Is the vision of second generation entrepreneur, Mr. Navkaran Singh Bagga, Director, AKVO and his team of researchers. The prototype of this new price efficient purifier based on AWG platform was showcased in Kolkata, which will soon be launched along with the industrial machines of AKVO 1000 and AKVO 5000 models across India.

Speaking elaborately about this dream project, Mr. Navkaran Singh Bagga, Director, AKVO, said, “With only 60% of water ready for consumption by 2030, India and rest of the world is staring at a global crisis, unless we care about our environment. The hour has come to try and find sustainable solutions to minimize the use of groundwater and innovate to develop cost efficient technology to provide clean drinking water for mankind. The Indian market is still in its nascent stage when it comes to adopting AWG technology. At AKVO, we are working towards manufacturing the most cost efficient AWG machine indigenously to cater to both industrial and household use. The depleting fresh water reserves along with rapid industrialization in India should augment the demand for AWG products in next few years. Alongside manufacturers need the policy and regulatory support from Government, Municipal bodies and Environment Activists to propose installation of AWGs to address the need of fresh drinking water.”
In line with the vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, AKVO will be manufacturing all the products indigenously in India at their manufacturing unit near Kolkata. The current capacity of the company is 800 Industrial units per Month and will be scaled up to 2000 units over the course of next 6 months. It is the vision of Mr. Navkaran Singh Bagga, who as a second generation entrepreneur from Kolkata has come up with a solution to find answer with resilience required to save undue usage of groundwater and year on year operating and maintenance cost with RO filters. With the Union Government already planning adequate measures to address the depleting groundwater crisis and unavailability of clean drinking water, a product like AKVO is ideal for industrial demand, homes, public and private institutions, defence and a perfect model for natural disasters to aid human need and prevent contamination. The most abundant source of fresh water is the Earth’s atmosphere. AKVO AWG replicates the natural process of condensation by simulating the dew point, which allows it to make water continuously using plug and play method. AKVO AWG machines can generate water entirely depending on the level of humidity and atmospheric temperature which is ideal in Indian conditions for AWG machines to function to its optimum level.

On this momentous occasion, Mr. Harbans Singh Bagga, Managing Director, Trishan Exports Pvt. Ltd. said, “As a responsible Corporate entity this dream project will reduce unnecessary usage of groundwater and give mankind an answer to save the world for future generations.”

 Read the article here: India Education Diary

Sunday Guardian Live

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Kolkata entrepreneur generates drinking water from moisture

As the country faces a ground water crisis, a Kolkata-based entrepreneur has come out with a solution to generate water by extracting atmospheric moisture and making it usable for drinking purpose.

AKVO, a unit of Trishan Exports, has developed a prototype which is ready with its commercial production, using Atmospheric Water Generator (AWG) technology, with capacity to produce 1000 litre per day pure water. The company is in the process to start production of equipment for domestic use also.

The equipment run on the basic principle of converting atmospheric vapour into liquid form and purify it further so that it can be used for drinking. “It’s like harvesting humidity when it is in the air,” said director of AKVO Navkaran Singh Bagga, who was in the capital recently, while speaking to this newspaper.

The device consists of a system wherein the water extracted from the atmosphere is subjected to four-stage purification. Some minerals are added in the process to make it sweet to drink. So at the end of the process, the final water is completely safe for drinking and is just like an RO water. The USP of the product is that it uses unlimited source of water, which is natural and abundant and that no separate purification is required. Humidity/moisture is present everywhere. If some moisture at a particular place is used for condensation, moisture of surrounding areas fills in at that place after some time.  Normally, the humidity is around 80% at a temperature of 28 degree Celsius.

A few hotels and organisations in Kolkata have started using the equipment, which Bagga claims is “fully indigenous”. A 1000 litre capacity equipment costs Rs 9 lakh. Right now, the cost of domestic equipment is coming close to about Rs 1 lakh, which according to Bagga, is too costly for domestic consumers. “We are working out ways to cut the cost so that it can be made available at a reasonable price of Rs 35,000 to Rs 40,000. We hope we will be able to do it very soon,” he said.

Bagga is talking to Indian Railways and municipal corporations across the country for installing this equipment which can solve the drinking water problem to a great extent. For water ATMs, this device can be used instead of RO, he said, adding the most abundant source of fresh water is Earth’s atmosphere which should be tapped for our use.

When asked if separate equipment needed to be manufactured as percentage of humidity varies from place to place, he said: “We are trying to customise the product depending on the humidity of a particular location. For example, it will be easier to extract water in places like Kolkata or Chennai because of the presence of high quantity of moisture in the atmosphere, but it will consume more power in dry places like Rajasthan. We are trying to come out with a solution which can work best in low humidity areas.”

Read the article here: Sunday Guardian Live

The Economic Times

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Converting air to water: Small companies make great strides in water generation

We know that electricity can be created from sunlight and coal can be made from wood. But, now it is possible to get water from thin air on a scale that can make a real difference. Water is not a commodity yet, but it may soon be, so here is what may help when society hits that stumbling block. Continue reading “The Economic Times”

The Hindu Business Line

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Use of atmospheric water generators picking up slowly
KOLKATA, OCTOBER 9:  With the impact of climate change making ground and surface water scarcer, companies are looking to tap the atmosphere that holds 37.5 million billion gallons of water.

This is higher than the approximately 32.6 million billion gallons of fresh water (the rest locked up in ice-caps and glaciers) present on earth.

The Technology

Mumbai-based WaterMaker (India) Pvt Ltd, Kolkata-based AKVO and Hyderabad-based Skywater Pvt Ltd, for instance, have set up atmospheric water generators (AWG), to condense the moisture in the atmosphere into water. The water is then filtered and purified through several filters, including carbon, and reverse osmosis, and UV sterilisation lights to get rid of impurities and heavy metals to produce pure drinking water.

Lukewarm demand

While the concept is not new globally, particularly in the US, Europe and Middle East, the technology, which works well in coastal areas where humidity is high, is yet to achieve scale in India.

WaterMaker, which is among the first few Indian companies in this segment (commencing operations in 2005), manufacturing AWGs of capacities ranging from 120 litres to 5,000 litres a day, admits that the demand has been lukewarm in India.

Of its total sales of 3,000 units worldwide, only about 50 units have been sold in India till date.

“The scenario is changing slowly and steadily, with people becoming more conscious of the environment,” Meher Bhandara, Director, Waterworks, told BusinessLine. Companies, which were initially focusing on industrial units, are now looking to tap the household segment.

AKVO, a unit of Kolkata-based Trishan Exports Pvt Ltd, which recently entered market, has come up with a prototype for household segment with a model capable of producing 40 litres a day, priced between ₹30,000- 40,000 per unit, Navkaran Singh Bagga, director, AKVO, said.

Cost factor

A senior research scholar at the School of Environmental Studies, Jadavpur University, cautions that the contaminats in atmospheric water could be high, particularly for a country like India, which has a dense population.

“Atmospheric water has to be treated properly as it is loaded with heavy metals such lead, mercury and cadmium among others coming from industrial activity, vehicles, etc,” he said.

This explains the high capital cost of owning such machines.

While an industrial AWG of 1,000 litres a day capacity could cost upwards of ₹1 lakh, a domestic unit with a 40 litres a day capacity costs between ₹30,000-40,000.

This apart, the average cost of electricity consumed for a 40 litres/day machine works out to be close to ₹56 a day or ₹1,680 a month.

A reverse osmosis machine costs in the range of ₹15,000–25,000 and entails an additional annual maintenance cost of ₹3,500-4,000. However, for every litre of pure water produced using RO technology, close to four litres are wasted.

The average cost of a mineral water dispenser works out to be ₹600-700 a month (considering a family of four consumes about 360 litres a month for drinking). The capital cost (one-time cost of acquiring a dispenser) is approximately ₹150.

The success of the AWGs will, therefore, depend upon the pricing and efficacy of the product.

(This article was published on October 10, 2017)
Read the article here: The Hindu Business Line

Ei Samay

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AKVO heralds the dawn of a new era; presents India’s most cost efficient and indigenously manufactured Atmospheric Water Generator, producing purest form of water from thin air.

The Economic Times

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KOLKATA: City-based Trishan Exports Pvt. Ltd’s unit Akvo is planning to set up a manufacturing unit in Howrah district for generators capable of producing potable water for households directly from the atmosphere.

“We are planning to set up a manufacturing line in Howrah for household atmospheric water generators (AWGs). The capacity of the household model will be about 40 litres a day. Total outlay would be around Rs 40 crore,” said Navkaran Singh Bagga, director, Akvo.

The company said the 40-litre model is likely to be priced between Rs 30,000 and Rs 40,000 per unit.

“We are already working on this project and hope to commence production from January-February 2018 near our existing plant meant for industrial size AWGs,” he said.

Currently, the company is producing industrial size AWGs with capacity ranging from 1,000 litres a day to 5,000 litres a day at the Howrah plant.

With the union government already planning adequate measures to address the depleting groundwater crisis and unavailability of clean drinking water, a product like Akvo AWGs are ideal for industrial demand, homes, public and private institutions, defence and a perfect model for natural disasters to aid human need and prevent contamination. The most abundant source of fresh water is the earth’s atmosphere.

Akvo AWG replicates the natural process of condensation by simulating the dew point, which allows it to make water continuously using plug and play method. Akvo AWG machines can generate water entirely depending on the level of humidity and atmospheric temperature which is ideal in Indian conditions for AWG machines to function to its optimum level.

Company officials claimed since power is the only input expense, the cost fo ..

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Millennium Post

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Soon, unit at Dhulagarh to produce water from air.

The Echo of India

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AKVO presents indigenously manufactured atmospheric water generator.