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UAE firm sets world record for largest volume of water produced from air in 24 hours
Ma Hawa earned a Guinness World Record for producing water from the atmosphere at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
- PUBLISHED: Thu 7 May 2026, 12:58 PM UPDATED: Tue 12 May 2026, 11:22 AM
A UAE-based innovation born in the desert has achieved global recognition after producing more than 60 cubic meters of drinking water directly from the atmosphere during the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Officially recognised for generating 60.75 cubic meters of potable water in 24 hours during the Formula 1 race weekend, the company, Ma Hawa, produced what was enough to support more than 339,000 attendees without relying on municipal or external water supplies.
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The project, delivered in partnership with another UAE-based company called Ethara, marked one of the largest deployments of atmospheric water generation technology at a major global event. Speaking after the ceremony, Ma Hawa CEO Michael Rutman said the company's idea was driven by the growing global water crisis and the urgent need for new solutions beyond traditional conservation methods.
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“We are living in one of the most water-scarce places on Earth,” he said. “The solutions we’ve always used are conventional reuse, reduce, recycle, reclaim, but they are not bringing us more water.”
Rutman explained that the atmosphere contains more water than all rivers and lakes combined, and that Ma Hawa’s technology was designed to tap into this untapped resource efficiently.
“We wanted to develop this technology here in the UAE, as an Abu Dhabi-based company, to provide water security to the country, the region, and eventually the world,” he said.
Today, the company has deployed tens of thousands of atmospheric water generation machines across the region, supplying drinking water to communities with limited access to clean water.
“This is only the beginning,” Rutman added. “We are investing heavily in research and development with institutions such as to make this technology even more accessible worldwide.”
Researchers from Khalifa University have been collaborating with Ma Hawa on atmospheric water generation projects for several years. Leva Sapkaite, an environmental engineering specialist at the university, said the partnership began through research into sustainable water production technologies.
“We found Ma Hawa while looking for sustainable solutions for water generation,” she said. “Since then, we have continued collaborating on different projects, and it has always been a pleasure to work together on addressing water scarcity challenges.”
Plastic ban
For Ethara, the initiative formed part of a wider sustainability strategy implemented during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. According to Arouge Agha, Ethara Sustainability Manager, the event became the first edition of the race to introduce a site-wide ban on single-use plastic drinking water bottles.
“Sustainability is embedded into nearly every conversation we have,” she said. “The Grand Prix is such a significant global event, and we wanted to ensure we were delivering meaningful impact.”
The plastic ban created the need for alternative drinking water solutions across the venue, including remote operational areas that previously lacked easy access to water stations.
“That’s where Ma Hawa came in,” Agha explained. “Together, we piloted technologies before the event and then deployed full-scale water-from-air generators and dispensers across the site.”
She added that the technology enabled the installation of water stations in previously inaccessible locations, while still providing high-quality drinking water to staff and visitors.
“The Guinness World Record is a wonderful recognition of the work,” she said. “But most importantly, it shows that access to sustainable, high-quality drinking water is becoming more possible than ever before.”
The achievement also highlights the UAE’s growing role in developing climate-focused technologies, particularly in areas such as water security and sustainable infrastructure, which are increasingly affecting countries worldwide.
Arwa Almazrouei is an Arabic editor passionate about storytelling and journalism, and creating impactful content that highlights culture, society, and the inspirational.