Originally produced by MIZUHA, KuSui, named after the Japanese words for "air" and"water," is a water cooler that directly liquefies water vapour in the atmosphere into drinking water using an ion exchange system and carbon filters to sterilise the water, according to the company’s website.

The prototype's production is expected to be completed within two months, ministry spokesperson Mohamed Eid Bakr told Ahram Online on Wednesday.

The production capacity of the device will average 14 litres per day, depending on the humidity percentage in the air, Bakr said.

The device will be available for commercial use by companies and tourist resorts, he added.

The ministry and MIZUHA signed in August and November 2022 two protocols with the aim of cooperating in manufacturing water extractors and marketing them in Egypt, Africa, and the Middle East.

"We will improve KuSui to specifications that are more suitable for the Egyptian market, and will work on joint development and research for domestic sales in Egypt," said MIZUHA, whose name comes from Mizuha-nome, the Japanese goddess of water.

The local production is being conducted in cooperation between the ministry-affiliated Science and Technology Centre of Excellence and MIZUHA.

“Local components will make up at least 50 percent of the device," the ministry spokesperson told Ahram Online.

The Banha Company for Electronic Industries is responsible for manufacturing the electronic Printed Circuit Board (PCB) of the device, while the Helwan Metal Hardware Company is manufacturing the majority of the metal parts of the machine, according to a ministry statement.

After manufacturing the prototype, Bakr said, the ministry will sign another protocol with the Japanese company to start manufacturing the final edition for mass production.

Bakr noted that manufacturing these devices is part of the ministry's plan to support green transition and enhance Egypt's water security.

Egypt, which suffers significant water scarcity, has a water deficit of up to 55 percent of its water needs, which stand at 120 billion cubic metres, according to Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources  Hani Sweilam.

More than 98 percent of Egypt's renewable waters flow from the River Nile, 75 percent of which meet the nutritional needs of 104.7 million Egyptians through agricultural production.

Egypt is making huge investments to raise the efficiency of its water system, which exceeded $10 billion during the previous five-year plan. However, Sweilam previously said, it also reuses water several times in this framework and is forced to trade in huge food imports worth about $15 billion.