The Middle East's sustainable growth targets rely heavily on availability of water in the desert to quench the thirst of residents in cities of the future. Administrative bodies and private firms are encouraging people to use the resource responsibly via smart metres as well as AI-equipped pumps to track and control consumption.

To avoid wastage, Dubai's power and water authority is using tech to alert people about possible leakages, while the city is also experimenting with drones that zap clouds to increase rainfall. Amidst these measures, American firm Source Global has zeroed in on the regional tech hub for testing its technique which converts air into water, by harnessing the sun's energy.

The entire process depends on hydropanels which run on solar power, and contain fans that draw in air, only to throw it towards nano-material designed to capture water. The trapped moisture is then extracted in form of vapour when the sun's energy heats the panel, and is later condensed to be collected in reservoirs at the base.

Water-absorbing material used in the hydropanels only holds on to water and lets pollutants pass, which ensures that each panel produces two to five litres of water every day. The firm has also embedded sensors into the mechanism, so that users can track the quality of water extracted through a smartphone app.

The information processed via smart tech also adjusts the functioning of fans inside the system, according to the temperature of the air and humidity level in the surroundings.

Trials to be conducted by Source in the Emirati desert will be part of its larger push, to provide drinking water for two billion people facing water scarcity across the globe. The US-based company is currently active in 48 countries, but the water farm in Dubai will be its largest facility.

Among other tech for water conservation being tested in the gulf, UAE is working on modifying sand molecules to make material that can store rain water. On the other hand, its neighbour Saudi Arabia is setting up a plant for desalination of sea water, by using solar and wind energy for sustainability.