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Sometimes science fiction becomes reality.

People of my generation can remember the time before man landed on the moon; the time when cell phones in sci-fi movies were props; and even the time when television picture tubes were round, nine inches wide, only black and white with 13 channels. We can also remember when gasoline cost about 30 cents a gallon and McDonald's burgers were 22 cents!

A lot has changed over the last 50 years, and we should expect phenomenal changes over the next few decades again. We will see cars powered by hydrogen, electric, bio-fuels, and maybe even water in our near future.

Solar and wind power will continue to increase and improve. We shouldn't kid ourselves about the future of nuclear energy. Nuclear energy will make a major comeback as advanced research will reduce safety concerns. France is now about 80 percent nuclear, Germany is about 30 percent, and the U.S. is about 20 percent.

There is one concern that will dwarf all the rest in a few years: water. Without clean water, human life as we know it will cease to exist. Water could and will easily replace oil as a valuable commodity. We already know that Turkey has a good source and supply of water and is using it as a "political" commodity. Turkey supplies Iraq with water. Even with all of its oil, Iraq desperately needs water to keep her rivers flowing for agricultural and human needs.

In the American West in the late 19th century, there were numerous range wars between cattle ranchers and sheep farmers. They were fighting over water. Both sides wanted and needed the often sparse river waters.

Enter the 21st century and a world of ingenuity. In the late 20th century, air conditioning became a staple of almost every home in America. Air-conditioning works, in part, by removing dampness from the air, and the water that is collected is generally deposited on the ground to dry up. Many of us use dehumidifiers in places like our basements to reduce dampness and avoid problems such as mold and mildew.

Now some of the same technology (adding reverse osmosis) that removes dampness from the air is being used to create drinkable water. The most remarkable feature is that it may now be doable by using equipment using solar power!

Recently two Israeli companies, Air Water Corporation and EWA (Earth, Water, Air) Technology Group, working with WaterMaker India and the Indian government, developed equipment based on original U.S. patents and advanced Israeli technology. The equipment extracts water from air and makes it safe and drinkable.

Jalimundi, in India's Andhra Pradhra state, is a village of about 600. Jalimundi just became the first village in the world to get its water from the air. In this project, the government of India is supplying the electricity; in future projects, the power source may be solar.

The equipment costs about $100,000. At that price it is economically feasible, much healthier, and much less expensive than to bring in water from another location. All that is needed from Mother Nature is a little humidity, and water is possible. In some equipment, all that is needed is humidity of 35 percent while in other products that figure rises to 55 percent. The machines can operate in a temperature range of 5 to 90 degrees Celsius.

Air Water had previously supplied water-creating equipment to the U.S. Marines, the South African Army, and the Chinese Navy. According to company sources, their machines are also operating in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, and Oman.

There have also been other companies with water-creating projects that have been successful. What Israeli companies have managed to do is stay at the forefront in research and development. Some of the water creation equipment can process out more than 1,000 gallons of drinkable water a day that can also be used for small-scale agricultural use.

This is only the beginning. About 3.5 million people a year die from water-related problems. Israel has at least six water-related startups working on various aspect of water creation or purification.

In India alone, estimates are that more than 1,600 people a day die from diarrhea, which is often caused by unsafe water. The same problem existed in many other poorer nations.

In the world of tomorrow, there will be ways to bypass the need for oil by using any of a dozen other products or some other form of newer technology, but it's very safe to say that without clean water we can't survive.

New products are already reaching the market that are actually water extraction equipment, designed and operating as a water cooler while at the same time being an air conditioner.

As the price comes down, don't be surprised in the near future to see these products in many offices and even homes. They may also help the government answer the question, Where does the (bottled) water actually come from? Perhaps our own homes.

Carl Resnick is a resident of Raritan and a local businessman.