Residents of El Talento, a small town in northern Colombia near Cúcuta, are now getting purified drinking water from the air, thanks to GEN-M, a medium-scale atmospheric water generator invented at Israel-based Watergen.

The 780-kilogram GEN-M arrived in Colombia at the beginning of October through an alliance project between Colombia and Israel managed by Pastor Andrés Suárez.

Suárez said he wanted to demonstrate how Watergen’s technology can provide safe drinking water to needy communities. El Talento does not have streaming potable water.

“We seek to harness Israeli technology in water, agriculture, livestock, communications and other industries, all of which could be adapted to the needs of our region,” said Suárez.

Requiring no external infrastructure except for a source of electricity, Watergen’s GEN-M can produce up to 800 liters of water per day depending on the level of ambient humidity. In El Talento, it is operating off a diesel generator.

TX Solutions, Watergen’s partner in Colombia, is presenting Watergen’s innovative approach to various humanitarian organizations. The company reports high interest in acquiring GEN-M machines to help other communities that lack access to clean water.

Watergen’s technology involves collecting ambient air, cleansing it of impurities, and using patented GENius heat-exchange technology to create water by cooling the air at its dew point. The liquid is filtered and purified with carbon. Any remaining bacteria are eliminated with ultraviolet rays.

The GEN-M will next be transported to La Guajira, where it will stay for three months to benefit the communities of that region.