Sign up for afaqs! Newsletters
Viral Now: A billboard for the drought-hit
The University of Engineering and Technology in Peru has created a billboard to make drinking water out of thin air.
It is one thing to talk about the importance of water and its conservation, and quite another to actually generate it for those who need it the most.
The breakthrough is designed to inspire more young people to pursue careers in engineering. The university came up with the idea to transform the country's high levels of humidity into drinking water in conjunction with ad agency Mayo DraftFCB.
Lima, the capital of Peru, is the second largest capital in the world that's located in a desert and access to drinking water is a problem for its 7 million people. Over a million have no access to running water at all and rely on private companies to deliver it to their homes.
The billboard requires electricity to power five generators that make up its inverse osmosis filtration system. It captures humidity in the air, and condenses, purifies and fills it up in 20-litre tanks.
The water is then transported through small ducts to a central holding tank at the billboard's base, where there is a water faucet. The structure has reportedly produced 9,450 litres of water in just three months, according to Mayo, which it says equals the water consumption of 'hundreds of families per month'.
Though the activity was carried out a year ago in February 2013, the video of the activation has now started going viral across social media platforms. Published on February 19, 2013, the video has so far received more than 7 lakh views on YouTube. The activity has also generated conversations on various international trade media across the globe.