How UAE startup Manhat plans to drive water security in the region

How UAE startup Manhat plans to drive water security in the region

The cascading impact of climate change is affecting the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, which is already “water stressed”. As such, the UAE Water Security Strategy 2036 aims to ensure sustainable and continuous access to water at all times.

Supporting this vision is the UAE-based deep tech startup Manhat, launched by co-founders Saeed Alhassan Alkhazraji and Vishnu Vijayan Pillai. Manhat’s proprietary technology facilitates waste-free water desalination using solar energy, thereby enabling water production, transportation, and irrigation of crops.

Can the solution drive water and food security in the desert? Alkhazraji certainly seems to think so.

“Our floating farm solution has the potential to drive a paradigm shift in the region by ensuring food and water self-sufficiency while tackling climate change,” he says.

At a time when 71% of the earth’s surface is covered by water and the sea level is rising, Manhat's natural water distillation solution promises to benefit islands, coastal countries, and cities facing the threat of rising sea levels, Alkhazraji explains. “As water evaporates from the ocean, Manhat’s greenhouse-like floating farm structures use solar energy to heat the water causing evaporation. Then the water condenses and gets collected in the floating farms that can be used to irrigate crops.

“The idea