Water, new oil? Mazavida bets on desalination

A new water infrastructure venture is betting on rapidly deployable desalination and treatment systems as billions of people face growing water scarcity worldwide.

Australian entrepreneur Rick Parish has launched Mazavida, bringing together Abu Dhabi-headquartered Kinetic7 Technologies and Aquarius Capital with Dallas-based PIF Energy.

The company will develop containerized systems capable of desalinating seawater and treating contaminated, brackish and unreliable water sources for governments, industries, agriculture and humanitarian operations.

Its launch comes as the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health warns that the world has entered an era of “water bankruptcy,” with some water systems no longer able to return to historic conditions.

UN researchers estimate around 4 billion people experience severe water scarcity for at least one month each year, while 2.1 billion still lack safely managed drinking water. Drought impacts are estimated to cost $307 billion annually.

“Water security is no longer a distant development challenge. It is becoming a defining economic, humanitarian and geopolitical risk,” Parish said.

Mazavida said its containerized approach could provide a faster alternative to conventional large-scale infrastructure, particularly in coastal nations, drought-hit areas, disaster zones and industrial locations.

PIF Energy Dallas chief executive officer Ben Morrow warned that growing scarcity could also reshape geopolitical priorities.

“The day is coming when oil will be cheap and wars will be fought over water,” Morrow said.

The venture also plans to pursue agricultural partnerships aimed at providing irrigation water and protecting food production.

“Food, energy and water security now sit at the center of national resilience,” Parish said. “Clean water is not just a humanitarian issue; it is the foundation for health, productivity, stability and investment.”