News and Press Releases

29th March 2022

Sending support to Ukraine water sector

Water and sanitation workers directly affected by the war in Ukraine have issued an appeal to the water sector for emergency equipment to help them continue providing lifesaving water and sanitation services while the war rages. 

The call from the Ukrainian Association of Water and Sewerage Companies was highlighted at the latest Water Action Platform webinar presented by Piers Clark, chairman at innovation and business consultancy Isle.

In addition, the broadcast featured sector expert and a technology showcase themed around groundwater to mark World Water Day. 

“Since the Russian invasion on February 24, much of the vital water and sewerage infrastructure within the Ukraine has been destroyed. We have been in contact with water professionals from within the region to get some sense of the scale of the challenge,” said Clark. 

Water sector contacts in the Ukraine were reporting vital water infrastructure is being deliberately targeted by Russian forces – with some water companies only having a few days’ worth of chemicals and fuel left, said Clark. Just a few days ago four workers died while trying to fix broken assets at a water treatment site.

Ukrainian Water Action Platform member Rusian Lavrinenko, CEO of Zander-Angro, shared how the countries water workers are desperately trying to maintain business as usual despite the increasingly desperate circumstances. 

“A lot of [water] infrastructure is completely damaged, and citizens who are hiding from the bombing and shelling have no water. Water supply is scarce even in some hospitals. But the biggest loss is the lives of our people – of our men, women and children,” Lavrinenko. “After the war is over, it will be a big task to repair the damage that has bene done.”

Clark shared a letter that had been sent to Water Action Platform from the Ukrainian Association of Water and Sewerage Companies. In it, the organisation makes a heartfelt plea to all companies, public organisations and citizens for support and assistance. 

At present they are looking for donations of equipment such as:

• Generators

• Emergency repair kit, including hands tools, hydrodynamic and welding equipment

• Pumps for drinking and waste water 

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including gas masks, chemical protection suits and wetsuits

• Components for automotive equipment such as tires and batteries.

Clark appealed to individual or organisations that want to help to get in touch directly at Piers.Clark@isleutilities.com

Technology showcase and sector expert

Isle’s head of the Philippines Yang Villa spoke to sector Mohammad Faiz Alam about World Water Day – which this year was themed around groundwater and ‘making the invisible visible.’ 

“The most striking thing about groundwater is the importance it holds for the whole economy,” said Alam. “Knowing that groundwater holds such a critical role, my research focuses on how we can manage it better, specifically in regard to the groundwater energy nexus and the need for a multi-stakeholder approach which draws on diverse expertise and experience.”

Alam is a researcher working with the International Water Management in Delhi, India and a member of the specialist groundwater management group with the International Water Association, working specifically on urban water management issues.

Staying with the groundwater theme for the technology showcase was DMI-65 - an advanced oxidation catalytic filtration system that can remove contaminants from groundwater. Over the past 20 years the DMI-65 has been used in hundreds of municipal and industrial applications across 65 countries.

Presented by James Glaskin, founder and CEO, the DMI-65 is made by Australian-based company Quantum Filtration Medium. The filtration system removes iron, manganese, and arsenic– contaminants that are particularly prevalent in groundwater - and uses a unique infusion technology to remove the need for potassium permanganate or chemical regeneration during the process.

28th February 2022

Decentralised approach critical for wastewater recovery  

Decentralised wastewater treatment systems can help minimise pollution, accelerate resource recovery, and provide rural and peri-urban inhabitants with access to vital sanitation. That was the message coming from the latest Water Action Platform webinar presented by Piers Clark, chairman at innovation and business consultancy Isle.

Wastewater is a rich resource from which water, energy and nutrients can be extracted. However in many centralised wastewater management systems these resources are not always fully exploited, explained Dr Clark at the online event, which took place on 24 February 2022. 

The webinar included a rundown of a collaborative European project called RUN4Life, technology showcases from 4Earth and Hydraloop, plus a presentation from Mark Roberts, water sector specialist at the National Trust, on the challenges of managing water at some of the UK’s most iconic locations.

Setting the standard 

Made up of 15 organisations from across the EU, each with their own expertise in the nutrient recovery value chain - RUN4Life is a collaborative initiative that aims to improve the recovery of the resources carried in wastewater and demonstrate how localised water reuse can benefit water management as part of a circular water economy.

“Usually the conventional sanitation systems are based on linear and centralised approaches where a mix of streams are treated together, which makes source recovery difficult,” said Dr Nicholas Morales, head of projects in the department of innovation and technology at Aqualia, which coordinates RUN4Life. 

 RUN4Life - short for ‘recovery and utilisation of nutrients for low impact fertiliser’ proposes a radical change to efficiently recover nutrients from wastewater within a circular economy of resources. The decentralised approach involves collection of black water (from toilets), greywater (other domestic wastewaters) and organic kitchen waste, separately. 

Each stream then receives the treatment needed for efficient resource recovery and safe reuse. The process is optimised using online monitoring of nutrient concentration, pathogens and micropollutants.

The Run4Life project has been active in four demonstration sites in Europe, located in Ghent, Belgium; Vigo, Spain; Helsingborg, Sweden; and Sneek in the Netherlands. 

While decentralised systems can present an attractive alternative where centralised systems do not exist, existing sewerage is old, or existing wastewater treatment plants are overloaded, there are barriers to implementation, explained Morales. These include market uptake of products and social acceptance.

To combat this, the project is examining the attitudes, opinions, and behaviour towards the technology for waste treatment and nutrient recovery and providing recommendations on communication and creation of social engagement strategies.

Dr Clark said, “RUN4Life sets the benchmark for what decentralised wastewater could potentially achieve.”

Smart systems

Ensuring access to clean water and sanitation for all is the focus of UN Sustainable Development Goal Six. This month’s technology showcases - 4Earth Inc. and Hydraloop – demonstrate sustainable, data-driven and user-friendly technologies that can help the sector achieve this goal.

Founder Jahanzeb Khan said, “Our goal is to provide a faster, more sustainable and easier to use solution on both existing infrastructure as well as for small communities and new developments.”. 

The company is a technology start-up based in the US city of Atlanta, which designs, engineers, manufactures and operates smart and modular systems. Modified shipping containers are used to house plug-and-play decentralised water and wastewater systems which can achieve high contaminant removal with low process complexity. 

In addition, 4Earth is hoping to make the water industry more engaging to the public by asking local artists to feature their work on the containers.

“4Earth is already on a great mission to address the global water crisis, but the fact they also want to incorporate modern design and art into their technology to further enhance the culture of the water industry is fantastic,” said Clark. 

Hydraloop, based in the Netherlands, manufactures domestic greywater systems as well as scalable units for commercial use. The company’s patented technology removes contaminants and pollution from greywater without the use of filters, membranes, or chemicals. 
Hydraloop combines six different technologies: sedimentation, floatation, dissolved air floatation, foam fractionation, an aerobic bioreactor, and disinfection of the cleaned water with powerful UV light. Since starting in 2017, Hydraloop has won a host of awards for its technology, including ‘best innovation’ and ‘best start-up’. It is also featured in the Netflix documentary Brave Blue World, as one of the solutions to solve the worldwide water crisis.

26 January 2022 

Decentralised water has role in global resilience

The role of decentralised water systems in the face of increasing water scarcity due to climate change and natural disasters was the focus of the most recent Water Action Platform webinar on 20 January 2022. 

Hosted by Isle chairman Dr Piers Clark, this month’s event included an expert review of ‘the good, the bad and the ugly’ of decentralised water systems, with a presentation from Jim Chu founder of an investment firm focussed on emerging markets. The event also revealed an award-winning solar desalination system providing much needed supplies for communities not connected to the mains.

Untapped opportunities

Untapped Global is an innovative investment company focused on emerging markets. It was founded by Jim Chu, an entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist who spent decades working in tech across the US and Europe. 

For the last 10 years Chu has focused on pioneering new ways to apply innovations in technology and finance to drive equitable economic development in frontier markets worldwide. After witnessing firsthand the devastation which followed the earthquakes in Haiti in 2010, he founded a social enterprise called DloHaiti.

“What I concluded during my time in Haiti was the aid system was broken,” explained Chu. “So much of what was being done wasn’t solving the problem. 

“Coming from a business background I decided to approach the problem differently and use an investor-led approach that focuses on the customer and what they needed and how to bring value to them. So we launched a decentralised water business, targeting the underserved areas of the country where there wasn’t the infrastructure in place, but the populations were growing rapidly.” 

Chu explained how securing funding is the most challenging aspect of running a decentralised water business as the issue of decentralised water – and especially private decentralised water – is outside of mainstream funding sources. This makes it hard to get on the master planning of public utilities and water authorities. 

Today, DloHaiti sustainably provides clean water to over 200,000 people in underserved regions of the country via hundreds of local entrepreneurs.

Dr Clark concluded, “We need those people who have the strategic oversight and decision-making power over funding to have a better awareness of how decentralised systems can assist around the world.”

Harnessing the sun 

After witnessing the effects of water scarcity on life in rural communities in Madagascar, water treatment engineer Sid Vollebregt co-founded Elemental Water Makers in 2012. The company’s award-winning solar desalination solution uses 70% less energy than typical reverse osmosis systems due to its unique energy recovery system.

“For decentralised applications the biggest barrier is energy – and specifically the use of fossil fuels – which are difficult to maintain on a small scale,” said Vollebregt. “Our solution provides cost-savings while providing off-grid operations and a reliable water source.”

While traditional desalination uses up to 10 kilowatts per hour, EWM’s technology turns seawater into drinking water using on 2.7 kilowatts per hour. The solution also supports a move towards solar adoption as it requires 70% less solar panel surface area and smaller batteries than legacy systems.

This fast-growing organisation now provides services globally and is operational in over 20 countries.

19th November 2021

COP26 fell ‘horrifically short’, says water expert 

The climate crisis was the focus the 33rd Water Action Platform webinar on 18 November 2021. 

Hosted by Isle chairman Dr Piers Clark in the wake of the COP26 climate change conference, this month’s event focussed innovative ways for water utilities to reach net zero carbon emissions. 

Sector expert Hamish Hill, from global engineering firm WSP, explored innovative flood mitigation strategies, Alistair Driver from Rewilding Britain made an impassioned plea to water companies to explore the environmental benefits of rewilding, and the featured technologies included one from a Swedish company turning biowaste into a useful biofuel.

C-minus for COP26

The warnings about the climate crisis have been around for decade and were highlighted in the most recent IPCC report on the climate crisis which was published earlier this year. The findings of the report were ‘brutally stark’ says Clark and set the tone for COP26.

“If you were a teacher marking the politicians who took part in COP26, what grade would you give them? My mark would be a C minus,” said Dr Piers Clark. “There was undoubtedly some positive progress over the two weeks, but it fell horrifically short of what was needed.”

Clark warned that with a dangerous dependency on fossil fuels highlighted in both the IPPCC report and the recent findings of the Global Carbon Report published on November 4, 2021, the abrupt decline in carbon emissions seen during the peak of the pandemic will be all but erased by the end of this year. For example, carbon emissions from fossil fuels will rise by 4.9% by the end of 2021, effectively erasing the 5.4% drop seen in 2020. 

Scientific modelling has shown that levels are likely to rise again in 2022 unless substantial and immediate action is taken.

Floodproof house

To discuss what can be done in the water sector to meet the challenges of reaching net zero and tackle the intensifying water crisis, Dr Clark spoke to Hamish Hall, service line director for the water risk management team at WSP.

WSP is one of the world's leading engineering professional services firms and were particularly active in the run up to COP26. Over the last 30 years Hall has worked on water projects across the world from protecting nuclear power stations to helping the Red Cross understand flooding. 

“Sea level rise is going to continue and increases in precipitation are going to continue, even if we’re really good at reducing our carbon emissions so we need to plan for that through flood mitigation management and ask where how we buy time for communities at risk of flooding to adapt,” said Hill.

To address this issue WSP invests heavily in numerical modelling – employing various modelling software packages for modelling 1D and 2D flows in rivers and over flood plains. Integrated flood risk assessments are also made where surface water processes and flow in sewage networks are modelled simultaneously.

Hill advised the best way to protect communities in the future involves a mix of natural flood management strategies and “embracing public/private partnerships” to fund them. In communities where it will be hard to fully mitigate against flooding, WSP is working in partnership with other agencies to design floodproof houses that rise up out of the flood plain on silts in the event of an incident. 

Circular sludge handling 

Despite the US$20 billion spent globally, every year, on sludge disposal, most of it still ends up in the environment, untreated. Sewage sludge is a significant contributor of carbon emissions

Described as the “solution to the global sludge challenge”, the technology showcase looked at Swedish company C-Green’s unique OxyPower HTC process, which turns wet biowaste into biofuel. It effectively eradicates greenhouse gas emissions from sludge storage. 

“The impact of sludge handling is not so well known, but it is a major climate and environmental problem,” said C-Green’s chief executive Erik Oden. “Sludge from the treatment of wastewater from industries and households causes greenhouse gas emissions, can spread dangerous substances into the environment and pose health risks. 

“With our new technology we can lift sludge handing into the circular bio-economy and harvest useful resources from what has been – until now- seen as waste. This is the solution to the global sludge challenge.”

Modern wastewater treatment plants aerate the incoming water causing oxidation, which helps break down biological material, a kind of slow wet oxidation. OxyPower HTC applies a very intensive wet oxidation process, using temperatures of around 230°C, to significantly accelerate the oxidation process. The resulting reactions produce heat, which is then used to run the entire OxyPower HTC process.

OxyPower HTC combines two established technologies: hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) and wet oxidation, with a compact industrial design. The technology simplifies both nitrogen and phosphorus recovery: nitrogen is extracted from the nitrogen-rich process separated water, and phosphorus is recovered from ash after the incineration of the HTC biofuel.

To find out more, visit: Technology — C-Green | OxyPower HTC™

Managing natural systems

Rewilding is gaining momentum as a new approach to restore and conserve biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Sector expert Professor Alistair Driver is one of the UK’s leading ecologist and conservationists and director of Rewilding Britain. An expert on managing natural systems to maximise their benefits, Driver explained more about the concept of rewilding, and how it can help countries reach net zero.

“Rewilding is the large-scale restoration of ecosystems to the point where nature can take care of itself. Where this is being done at scale you can measure the benefits in improvements to biodiversity, carbon sequestration, water quality, flood risk management – while also improving health and wellbeing of communities.”

Driver explained that a crucial component of rewilding is the reintroduction of livestock, such as native cattle, ponies and pig. Large herbivores maintain open areas that benefit a wide range of other species through their grazing. He cited the example of rewilding work by UK water company United Utilities in Haweswater and Ennerdale. 

“If water companies are going to contribute significantly towards solving the climate crisis, rewilding needs to be a universal activity,” concluded Driver.

For more information visit www.rewildingbritain.org.uk. 

29th October 2021

Environmental crisis looms in Latin America

Solving the complexities of providing clean water and safe sanitation in a time of climate volatility was addressed during the 32nd Water Action Platform webinar on 28 October 2021.

Hosted by Isle chairman Dr Piers Clark and supported by technology consultant Rodrigo Valladares, this month’s event focussed on Latin America – highlighting imminent and increasing environmental challenges. Initiatives and technologies which are being brought to bear were presented from across Mexico, Chile and Colombia

Access challenge

Sergio Campos, head of the water and sanitation division of the Inter-American Development Bank, discussed the main challenges facing the water sector in Latin America, including social inclusion and equality, productivity and innovation, and economic integration - while considering the effects of climate change and environmental sustainability.

“The main challenges for the water sector in Latin America are mostly related to access – 25- 30% of the population in Latin America don’t have a continuous or drinkable source of water,” said Campos. “And for sanitation it’s almost two-thirds of the Latin American population that don’t have access to adequate sludge management.

“But it’s not only access, it’s also the vulnerability to climate change. We estimate we need approximately US$20bn per year to meet sustainable development goals by 2030 and there are important things that need to be addressed in terms of corporate governance, regulation and innovation.”

While Latin America boasts a third of the world’s fresh water supplies, it comprises many arid areas and faces the challenge of varying rates of innovation adoption.

“The gamechanger is innovation,” said Campos, “but not only linked to technology – it has to be holistic so innovation in governance, communication and socialisation too.”

Moving on to environmental challenges, Clark told the webinar audience, “There are two major environmental catastrophes looming in this part of the world, and due to the potential impact they could have across the world, we need to be aware of them.”

Clark identified hypoxic waters – or dead zones - and over-accumulation of a large brown seaweed called sargassum as the major challenges facing the region.

Tackling dead zones

The Gulf of Mexico dead zone is one of the largest hypoxic areas in the world and is occurring at the mouth of the Mississippi River, which has tell-tale low concentrations of dissolved oxygen. The challenge arises from the impact of fertiliser from farmland causing nutrient enrichment in the river, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus.

The size of the zone varies depending on river flow and precipitation and this is more variable than ever due to climate change. Clark argued that the key to minimising the Gulf’s dead zone is to address the problems at source – using less fertiliser to limit excessive run-off, controlling animal waste entering waterways and monitoring sewage treatment facilities to reduce nutrient discharges.

Upcycling seaweed

A massive influx of sargassum to the coats of the Caribbean Sea is the other major challenge, but a circular economy approach is being explored to rebalance the natural environment. The cause of the excess seaweed is thought to be an increase in nutrient load due to deforestation and other land-use changes.

“The increased invasion of sargassum has caused adverse effects on human health and ecosystems, as well as tourism. Long-term management strategies are needed to deal with the harmful impacts,” said Isle technology consultant Rodrigo Valladares.

Scientists are now working urgently to bring circular economy thinking to the issue of sargassum - which has potential as a valuable resource. Experiments are underway to explore its use as biorefinery feedstock, extracting biogas, biofertiliser, alginate and fine chemicals.

Chilean technologies

A robot that inspects hard to reach tunnels and an air bubble blanket to filter pollution were featured in this month’s technology showcase which highlighted solutions from Chile.

Diego Olivares Meneses, head of innovation at Aguas Andinas (AA), Chile’s largest utility discussed how the utility is facing increasing pressure on its water supplies due to low rainfall, and how they are using technology to become more water efficient with its existing resources.

One scheme involves using remote control tunnel inspection robots to conduct diagnostic tests in difficult or dangerous to reach pipelines, without the need for supply disruptions. Knowing the true condition of the assets supports the development of maintenance and repair schedules for operational and financial optimisation. The utility is currently developing more aerodynamic robots to increase its capacity to find and fix issues and improve water management across its network.

PSP is a Chilean technology company in the aquaculture sector and director Luis Sepulveda explained how the company is using an air-bubble barrier technology known as LowO2 to tackle pollution in reservoirs. A specially designed pipeline diffuser allows uniform generation of millions of micro-bubbles, creating a ‘wall’ that blocks the passage of undesirable elements such as microalgae, algae, oil and litter.

According to Sepulveda, permanent use of these barriers can have a significant positive impact on ecosystems by minimising fouling in pipes and backwashing, as well as discharge of organic material into the environment.

Big leap forward

The Water Action Platform was originally started in March 2020 to support utilities’ response to the global pandemic. Times are changing and the focus is now shifting to the even greater challenge of climate crisis.

Piers Clark said, “Next month I will share details of a new initiative called the Trial Reservoir - which I think is the most exciting thing to happen in the water sector for a generation and has the potential to be a significant leap forward in our approach to the climate crisis.”

To find out more about this exciting initiative, tune into the next Water Action Platform webinar on Thursday 18 November at 7.30am and 4.30pm BST. Click here to sign up to receive the invitation. To find out more> https://www.wateractionplatform.com/contact

6th September 2021

“The world has run out of time”

This stark warning has been issued by Piers Clark, chairman of technology consultancy Isle, following the publication of the IPCC report which found the global water crisis will continue to intensify with climate breakdown.

The report addresses the most up to date understanding of the climate system and brings together the latest advances in climate science. The findings were “brutally stark” explained Clark at the latest Water Action Platform webinar on Thursday, 26 August.

“You would have to have been living under a rock for the past six weeks not to have heard about the recent IPCC report on the climate crisis.” said Dr Piers Clark.

“The world has run out of time to act. To avoid a climate crisis the world must act NOW, we cannot delay. COP26 will be held later this year in the UK but many are not confident that politicians fully own this issue. There is a sense of hopelessness many of us feel when faced with these stark warnings about the climate- what can we as individuals do?”

Significant role

The water sector has a significant role to play in tackling this issue, explained Clark. As an industry which utilises significant amounts of energy in treating and pumping water, there is also great potential to create a positive environmental impact, whether from generating energy from bioresources to building floating solar arrays on reservoirs.

The sector must lead the way in resolving this important global challenge and it is vital the importance of water, and the work being undertaken by the global sector to protect it, is communicated to the public in an open and transparent way.

Make water famous

Clark revealed a first glimpse of the not-for-profit Make Water Famous initiative - a public-facing multimedia positive news platform, exclusively about water. It will be staffed by former national and regional journalists with extensive experience in the water sector communications and campaigns.

“The value of a news service is that it drops the jargon, does away with the politics and gets straight to the heart of the issue – namely that water deserves to be celebrated and cherished…in fact, it deserves to be famous,” said Clark.

The Make Water Famous website goes live on September 15. To find out more about how your organisation can get involved, please contact natasha@makewaterfamous.com.

Transformation in desalination

This month’s featured technology was from UK company Agua Via, which has developed a one-atomic-layer thick membrane that will dramatically shift the cost of desalination. The company is in the final stages of securing significant funding, enabling the final stage of product development, with roll out in the next 30 months in partnership with leading organisations in the water sector.

Agua Via chief executive Stephen Howard said “This is a transformative technology. It will cut capital costs and cut energy use – which contributes to the reduction of global greenhouse gases.”

It has been described as the most ‘atomically precise material ever built’ by the US Department of Energy and is inspired by biological design of the human kidney.

Global Innovation Challenge

Dr Gurdev Singh, deputy director of the technology department at Singapore’s national water agency – PUB, was this month’s sector expert. He is leading PUB’s Global Innovation Challenge (GIC). The initiative was initially launched in 2020 at the height of the pandemic and was intended to keep the global innovation community connected.

“The GIC is a way for us to source game-changing ideas and disruptive innovations across a range of sectors and try to bring those into the water sector,” Singh explained.

To find out more about the 2021 challenges, highlights from the programme and how to get involved, please visit www.pub.gov.sg/innovationchallenge

Hosted by global technology and business consultancy Isle, the Water Action Platform is a global initiative that brings water companies together to share knowledge and innovation across the world.

The next Water Action Platform webinar takes place on Thursday 23 September at 7.30am and 4.30pm BST. Click here to sign up to receive the invitation. To find out more> https://www.wateractionplatform.com/contact

25th August 2021

Can we make water famous?

An innovative project to help the water utility sector engage directly with the public will be revealed at this week’s Water Action Platform webinar, which takes place on Thursday, 26 August.

With increasing scrutiny from regulators and the public for water utilities to reduce pollution incidents, invest in infrastructure and reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, there has never been a more pressing need for the industry to communicate the challenges it is facing.

“At our recent zero pollutions event, the over-riding message from industry, regulators and NGOs was the urgent need for collaborative, independent external communications to help members of the public understand the complex issues around water,” explains Piers Clark, Isle chairman and host of the Water Action Platform webinars.

“As Philip Dunne MP, chair of the UK Parliament Environmental Audit Committee, said during the keynote address, there needs a united voice to communicate with the public.

“The good news is a solution is already underway. A public-facing, multimedia, positive news platform all about water is due to launch later this year. Called Make Water Famous, it will be run by a group of journalists with extensive experience of working and around the water industry.”

Membrane technology

As well as the the usual Water Action Platform updates, the open webinar will also feature an innovative new technology from Agua Via, a UK company bringing to market a low-energy, high-purity technology based on unique one-atomic-layer thick membranes capable of delivering water for domestic, industrial and agricultural use. Water can be produced from any water source, including wastewater remediation and desalination, at the lowest energy possible.

In addition, Piers Clark will be interviewing Dr Gurdev Singh, deputy director of the technology department at PUB - Singapore’s national water agency - about the utility’s Global Innovation Challenge. The initiative seeks to a​ccelerate the discovery and adoption of digital solutions and smart technologies to improve operational excellence and meet future water needs.

Hosted by global technology and business consultancy Isle, the Water Action Platform is a global initiative that brings water companies together to share knowledge and innovation across the world. The webinar takes place on Thursday 26 August at 7.30am and 4.30pm BST.

Click here to sign up to receive the invitation. To register and find out more> https://www.wateractionplatform.com/contact

26th July 2021

The power of nature can build resilience

Nature-based solutions (NBS) and how they can help utilities increase water security and resilience was the focus of this month’s Water Action Platform on tour, which was broadcast from Manila on Thursday 22 July. and hosted by Isle’s head of the Philippines, Yang Villa. 

Traditionally, decisionmakers have resorted to heavily engineered grey infrastructure to address water management challenges but as the sector begins to rethink the traditional asset-based approach, investment in nature-based solutions is increasingly used to address water challenges such as flooding, supply disruptions and improve water quality.

“A range of nature-based solutions are already being applied across the global water sector, helping utilities keep water clean, reduce flood risk and reach net zero,” explains Villa. “And in order for the pace of change to accelerate it is vital water utilities share knowledge, and all this hard work in the sector is underpinned by effective policymaking and regulation.” 

 A presentation from Dr Chris Walker of Clarity Aquatic in Australia showed NBS in practise, with constructed floating wetlands (CFW) helping reduce nutrient and sediment loading in urban stormwater and wastewater lagoons. The webinar also featured stories from four utility chief executives from across Asia and the Pacific, revealing how the pandemic has helped them pivot towards the new normal.

The first story featured was Maynilad Water Services, the Philippines’ largest water utility in terms of customer base, who explained how the company has weathered not just one, but two crises. Maynilad chief executive Mon Fernandez called 2020 their “most difficult year to date” as the company faced the twin uncertainties of renegotiating their concession agreement with the Philippine government during the Covid-19 pandemic. Through these back-to-back crises, Maynilad continued to deliver essential services while accelerating digital innovation and ensuring the safety and wellbeing of employees; “2020 was tough, but Maynilad is tougher,” said Fernandez.

Meanwhile Louise Dudley, chief executive of Urban Utilities in Queensland, Australia, shared how they are reimaging their post-pandemic workspace to foster more cooperative working by designating distinct collaborative, productive and cultural spaces.

This month’s sector expert was Geoffrey Wilson from the Asian Development Bank (ABD). Isle supported the production of ADB's report, "COVID-19 and Water in Asia and the Pacific: Guidance Note" which can be downloaded for free here.

To find out more about any of the topics listed, the Water Action Platform webinar can be viewed here.

The next monthly webinar takes place on Thursday 26 August 2021 at 7.30am and 4.30pm BST. To sign up to receive an invitation click here.

To register and find out more> https://www.wateractionplatform.com/contact

22nd June 2021

Award-winning event focuses on water and food security 

The water-energy-food security nexus was the focus of the latest Water Action Platform on tour webinar, which took place in South Africa on 17 June. The open webinar featured an innovative technology developed in Cape Town that harnesses wave power, and a presentation from coal sector hydrologist Ritva Muhlbauer on providing water and food security in a post-mining landscape.

Hosting the event for the first time, Dr Jo Burgess, senior technology consultant at Isle, took the opportunity to congratulate Isle founder Dr Piers Clark on a special citation at the International Water Association TV Awards for initiating the Water Action Platform. 

“The Water Action Platform today serves more than 800 organisations, covering 92 countries. It is the water industry collaborating and working together at its best,” said Clark on accepting the IWA award.

“The water industry has really stepped up during the pandemic. Across the world we have been able to keep the taps flowing and toilets flushing. That’s an incredible achievement from the sector and I am delighted that the Water Action Platform has paid a part in that collaboration.”

Critical interdependency

Introducing the key theme of the webinar, Burgess said, “In recent years there has been growing understanding of the importance of the water-energy-food security nexus and how each is dependent on the other. The nexus approach identifies each of these systems as inherently interconnected and aims to identify the synergies and critical conflicts that need to be dealt with,” said Burgess.

Irrigation trial 

Guest speaker on the Water Action Platform was Ritva Mühlbauer, a hydrologist from Thungela, a South African thermal coal producer and exporter.  Mühlbauer highlighted a recent collaboration between the regulator, Thungela, Anglo American Coal and the community, which was designed to address water scarcity and food security.  

Mining coal is one of the most water intensive methods of generating electricity and Thungela is investigating and implementing solutions to minimise the impact of its operations to local communities and the environment. 

Mühlbauer explained how a recent irrigation trial at Thungela’s Mafube colliery in Mpumalanga, South Africa demonstrated that mining-impacted water could be used an agricultural water supply. The benefits included a reduction in pollution of natural water systems and a significant reduction in water treatment costs. Longer term benefits include increased water security during drought.

Making waves 

The webinar also featured South African technology company Impact-Free Water’s wave energy reverse osmosis pump (WEROP), which uses the natural movement of the sea to pressurise and pump seawater for desalination and electrical power production.

The WEROP is a patented, locally built unit that sits on the seabed anywhere between 500m and 1km out to sea. Using wave power, the pump pushes water through an undersea pipe to the shore, where it is configured to:

• Run through a reverse osmosis (RO) unit to produce fresh water

• Run through a turbine to produce electricity

• Be pumped at high volume for land-based seawater mariculture

The RO unit can be configured to produce water for irrigation, or high-quality tap water, or even ultra-high-quality water for bottling. 

Impact-Free Water’s founder and chief executive Simon Wijnberg and business director Anton Berkovitz are now looking for partners to help with their scale up plan. To learn more, visit www.impactfreewater.com  

A natural approach

Created by global technology and business consultancy Isle, the Water Action Platform is a global initiative that brings water companies together to share knowledge and innovation across the world. Since launching in 2020 the platform has gone from strength to strength, recently announcing three new sponsors: Strategic technology investors Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures (SAEV), Canadian consultancy WSP and French technology company Orege.

Next month the Water Action Platform tour will visit the Asia-Pacific region and the theme will be nature-based solutions, with guest host Yang Villa, Isle’s head of the Philippines. The webinar takes place on Thursday 22 July at 7.30am BST and 4.30pm BST (UTC+1). To sign up to receive an invitation click here.

27th May 2021

Water industry gives green light for hydrogen 

Green hydrogen, and how the water sector can engage with this ‘green, clean fuel source,’ was the focus of the latest Water Action Platform webinar – a forum for water sector collaboration across international boundaries, which took place on Thursday 20 May 2020. 

Hosted by Isle chairman Piers Clark, the webinar featured Dr Jenifer Baxter, director for innovation and policy at Protium Green Solutions, who gave a rundown of key insights into hydrogen for the water sector. The presentation also featured emerging hydrogen technologies from the UK and Australia.

“We see hydrogen as an opportunity to decarbonise key pillars of our society –including things that form part of our critical infrastructure like water and waste,” said Dr Baxter. “This is about sustainable development and making our industries much more sustainable by being able to understand exactly what feedstocks and wastes we have and how we can use them more effectively. It is a circular economy of energy and waste.”

Baxter explained how historically hydrogen has been reliant on the exploitation of fossil fuels, but that there are ‘clean’ ways of producing it and trials and feasibility studies are taking place at water utilities globally exploring cleaner, greener ways of producing hydrogen.

Capturing carbon

New resource recovery opportunities were explored during the technology showcase, both of which have the potential to simultaneously improve the wastewater treatment process while generating clean hydrogen. The first was from Hazer Group, an Australian company which produces fuel-cell grade hydrogen and high-quality graphite from methane, with low CO2 emissions.

“Rather than typical gas-based hydrogen production which produces CO2 as a by-product, we produce graphite – a solid, capturable and usable product.” said chief executive Geoff Ward. “It’s a clean and cost-effective technology and, when paired with renewable biogas, has the lowest emissions profile of any available technology - going beyond where solar and electrolysis can reach and taking methane originated from waste out of the atmosphere and capturing all the carbon associated with the feedstock.”

UK-based Organics operates globally and is focused on renewable energy, ammonia recovery and anaerobic digestion. Commercial director Keith Richardson explained how the company’s patented system recovers ammonia from high-strength wastewater and turns it into a range of saleable ammonia products, along with hydrogen. 

Organics already has a well-established thermal ammonia stripper which is used to remove ammonia from, for example, watering liquors and landfill leachates. The recovered ammonia can be used as a fertiliser, a raw material for industrial processes or as a feedstock for ammonia cracking processes that could generate green hydrogen.  

Increasing diversity, catching COVID and digital twins 

In addition to the focus on hydrogen, the webinar also included updates on global water stories, including the rollout of wastewater-based epidemiology and progress on diversity and inclusion in the water sector. 

Participants were invited to take part in Digital Twin Tour from Idrica, an international company specializing in services and solutions for water utilities. A Digital Twin is a virtual model that replicates the real system behaviour and allows to simulate its response under any condition.

The free event takes place on Wednesday 9 June. It will be moderated by Piers Clark and feature a keynote address by CEO of Idrica Jaime Barba and a demonstration of how the digital twin works.  To register > megan.ford@Isleutilities.com

To find out more about any of the topics listed, the Water Action Platform webinar can be viewed here.

The next monthly webinar takes place on Thursday 17 June 2020 at 7.30am and 4.30pm BST. To sign up to receive an invitation click here.

To register and find out more> https://www.wateractionplatform.com/contact

21st April 2021

Research shows water shutoff ban saves lives 

Research highlighted at the latest Water Action Platform webinar shows nearly half a million Covid-19 infections could have been prevented in the US alone if there had been a nationwide ban on water shutoffs. The global issue of water shutoffs and disconnections during the pandemic was brought into stark focus at the online event hosted by Isle chairman, Dr Piers Clark, which took place on 15 April.

In 2020, water utilities and municipalities around the world started holding back their plans to cut off non-payers amid concerns a lack of access to critical water and sanitation could escalate the rising pandemic. ​

The research carried out by Cornell University and Food & Water Watch found that states in the USA which suspended disconnections had significantly reduced growth rates of Covid-19. ​If similar policies had been adopted across the country, the study model estimates that almost 500,000 cases of Covid-19 would have been prevented.

“Before the pandemic, protections from water shutoffs were rare in the US,” said Clark, “but on 9 March 2020, Detroit became the first US city to pause water shutoffs and temporarily reconnect water services for all residents. This action sparked a wave of moratoria nationally, with more than 800 localities and states following Detroit’s lead.”

The Cornell researchers ran a regression model and concluded that water shutoff bans decreased the daily infection growth rate by 0.235% and the death growth rate by 0.135%. Modelling showed a similar moratorium on water shutoffs nationwide could have saved around 480,000 people from Covid-19 infection and almost 10,000 lives.

This research demonstrates the critical impact of access to water, especially during a public health crisis, and makes a clear case for national strategies to ensure water and sanitation services are accessible for low-income households.

Efficiency through innovation 

Access to water is vitally important for health, businesses and communities. So how can the water sector can meet regulatory water efficiency targets, while delivering benefits for customers and the environment?

The Water Action Platform webinar also explored research and technologies that address water efficiency issues and shared learnings from utilities in the UK and Spain about tackling water efficiency during the pandemic and beyond.

Creative EC, a UK company, showcased a product called Waterfall – a smart meter which generates detailed insight into water usage by collecting water event and billing-grade consumption data from domestic and commercial customers. Waterfall applies the principles of the internet of things (IoT), cloud technology and machine learning to uncover and use powerful data on water usage events in individual properties for the first time.

“This rich data set provides incredibly detailed insights into the nature of water consumption, allowing water companies to encourage customer water efficiency using techniques like behavioural analytics, gamification and nudge theory,” said Clark.

Securing London’s water 

With improvements of up to 40% required to reach the UK Government’s per capita consumption (PCC) targets, research shows reductions can be most effectively achieved through a combination of customer behaviour changes alongside utilities addressing leakage and unmetered flows. As the largest water provider in the UK, by population, the biggest challenge Thames Water faces is from population growth and development.

Andrew Tucker, Thames’ water efficiency manager, presented water efficiency data for London which has been generated through its ambitious smart meter programme rollout.

“Quite simply we do not have enough water for the future. We need new water resources to come in and we need to bring demand down,” explained Tucker. “The more knowledgeable we can be, the more detailed we can be able what is happening to our water, the better we will be able to manage this precious resource.”

As part of its drive to tackle this issue, Tucker provided an update on Thames Water’s ongoing smart meter programme rollout to every household and business in its region. Over 500,000 smart meters were installed to 21 March and Thames is now receiving millions of meter readings per day.

“With manual meter reads we were getting around one million a year. With smart meter reads we’ve leapt to 11 million a day. We have gone from a traditional water company to a big data company overnight. Our key focus now is using data, turning it into insight and putting it into action to drive demand reduction,” added Tucker.

Get involved

Hosted by global technology and business consultancy Isle, this marks the one-year anniversary of the Water Action Platform, a global initiative that brings water companies together to share knowledge and innovation across the world.

The next Water Action Platform webinar takes place on Thursday 20 May at 7.30am and 4.30pm BST. Click here to sign up to receive the invitation.

To register and find out more> https://www.wateractionplatform.com/contact

16th March 2021

Innovations in microbiology generating opportunities in water

Real-time online sensors that can detect microbiological contamination in water and wastewater are “closer than people think”, according an expert speaker invited to address the latest Water Action Platform webinar. Professor Tobias Barnard, a biochemist from the University of Johannesburg in South Africa, gave a rapid overview of innovations that could enhance water treatment.

Barnard said that microbiology “needs to be investigated more” for deployment in a wider range of water and wastewater applications. He shared techniques and approaches that could be deployed, including the use of predatory bacteria in combination solar disinfection to eliminate harmful microbes; and hunting for ‘extremophiles’, bacteria adapted to environments with extreme conditions that may have the characteristics required for specific applications. 

The online event took place on 11 March 2021 and was themed Innovation in Microbiology. It is available on the Water Action Platform and is the 25th webinar since the network’s launch to support water utilities grappling with the emerging pandemic a year ago. Today there are some 1,300 members across 92 countries and is free at point of use. 

Breakthrough technologies

Two further microbiology related technologies were presented during the webinar, both of them suitable for onsite analysis. 

Canadian technology company Tecta-PDS has developed the world’s first rapid microbial test for E coli, coliforms and enterococcal bacteria and is already supplying hundreds of water utilities and municipal labs globally. 

Chief executive Doug Wilton explained, “It has incredible ease of use and can test the entire water system including drinking water, wastewater, raw water and even sludge.”

The system is already in use in Singapore, Kuwait, North America and Australia, where Sydney Water has fitted out an entire fleet of mobile labs to improve their testing turnaround times.

QBiowater, a proprietary technology from the UK, uses autonomous wastewater monitoring to gain insights that reduce the spread of disease during pandemics. Chairman and co-founder Vito D’Ancona said that the enzymatic molecular assay has been developed to passively gather information on a targeted population to monitor and prevent the spread of future pandemics.

“It can be delivered fully configured for easy installation and is telemetry controlled,” he said.

The 25th Water Action Platform webinar can be viewed at https://www.wateractionplatform.com/webinars. The next event takes place on 15 April 2021, with two sessions to accommodate time differences, register here.

26th January 2021

Tackling PFAS ‘uncharted territory’ for global water industry

“We are in uncharted territory: trying to find contaminants which may not yet have regulations controlling them,” says Carol Walczyk, vice president for water quality and compliance at Suez North America.

The impact of emerging contaminants, and in particular polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS’), on watercourses and public health was the theme of the latest Water Action Platform webinar, which took place on 21 January 2021.

The event explored research and technologies addressing PFAS chemicals, man-made compounds found in many consumer products, in particular fabrics, cleaning products, paints and fire-fighting foams. Their ability to remain intact for long periods of time means that PFAS levels can build up significantly in the environment.

“We are still learning about the potential health effects caused by the bioaccumulation of certain PFAS chemicals in our bodies,” said Isle chairman Dr Piers Clark who hosted the open event, “but the evidence gathered to date suggests it can cause serious health conditions. As a water sector we need to be aware of this issue, and proactively respond to address it.”

Uncharted territory

Carol Walczyk, vice president for water quality and compliance at Suez North America, spoke as a sector expert about the challenges and opportunities of tackling new and unknown pollutants entering waterways.

“We need to do this work to build a reliable and robust picture of the risks, so we can respond appropriately,” she said.

“This is not easy, and it’s not cheap. Most importantly, it is not something individual utilities can do alone. We must share our learning and experiences so that everyone across the water sector can benefit.”

Isle has recently completed a project identifying early-stage and emerging solutions that not only look at treatment and removal, but also destruction

To find out more about this project, or to get involved, please get in touch: https://www.isleutilities.com/contact

Three technologies revealed

The focus stayed on emerging pollutants during the webinar’s technology showcase, which featured three innovations from Europe and Australia. These comprised a world-leading innovative ceramic flat-sheet membrane; a low-energy, enzymatic filtration system and a new catalytic process that mimics the natural defence process of the human body.

The first, Cerafiltec from Germany, is arguably the most innovative ceramic flat-sheet membrane module in the world.

“The key thing here is that ceramic flat-sheet membranes have so much more to offer than conventional UF [ultrafiltration] membranes,” explained Cerafiltec chief executive Julius Gloeckner. “For example, they allow for the combination of adsorption and filtration in one step, enabling the selective removal dissolved contaminations, such as PFAS.”

Cerafiltec has demonstrated its membranes can remove PFAS to below detectible limits, from 2,000ppt in the feedwater.

“Currently there is about 600ml/day of capacity installed using ceramic flat-sheet membranes where this adsorption process could be applied. The process yields significant techno-commercial advantages,” added Gloeckner.

The next technology to be presented was from Pharem, from Sweden, which produces a low-energy, enzymatic filtration system specifically designed for removing organic micropollutants such as pharmaceutical residues.

“This technology can be integrated into existing treatment plants. The system is gravity-fed and can be fully functional with little to no electricity input, primarily because the enzymes do not require additional energy,” explained founder and chief executive Martin Ryen.

The Pharem Filtration System has been demonstrated on over 500 different contaminants, with removal rates from 66 – 95 percent. Pharem is currently collaborating with Swedish cleantech company Malmberg for installation in the Nordics and is open to working with others on trials for either pharmaceutical compounds and/or carbon-chloride compounds.

Finally, an Australian company, Infinite Water, has developed Hydroxon, a catalytic advanced oxidation process to remove metals, dissolved organics and other refractory toxic or non-biodegradable compounds.

Joshua Pinto, sales director explains more: “The idea for the Hydroxon process initially came from looking at the defence process the human body uses against microbes. Humans have special defence cells which detect, encapsulate and destroy – with an oxidation package – any intruding bacteria.”

Like Pharem, Hydroxon is a low-energy solution. The manufacturer states that the total energy consumption of a Hydroxon unit is less than 0.1 kWh/m³ and it can replace several processes in a conventional treatment train.

Infinite Water has pilots and commercial installations with water utilities and various industries - agriculture, food & beverage, printing & packaging and mining, in Australia, New Zealand, China and Bangladesh. In addition, Isle has carried out collaborative trials on Hydroxon with four Australian utilities.

To register and find out more> https://www.wateractionplatform.com/contact

15th December 2020

Multiple leakage solutions identified during NWR webinar

Reducing non-revenue water (NRW) loss was the focus of the latest Water Action Platform webinar, which took place on 10 December 2020 and was hosted by Isle chairman Piers Clark.

Water loss Is a critical issue. The World Bank estimates that NRW costs utilities worldwide about US$14 billion annually in addition to financial challenges, utilities must also cut water loss to meet conservation and sustainability targets against a backdrop of aging water infrastructure. 

During the webinar Clark unveiled the exclusive results of an international leakage benchmarking study and highlighted three ‘disruptive’ leakage management technologies from around the world. 

Global benchmarking study 

Paul Harris, Isle’s head of business consulting, presented the results of a recent international leakage benchmarking study involving sixteen utilities across Australia, Brazil and UK. 

The study found there are varying levels of confidence in the accuracy of NRW values for unbilled authorised consumption and unauthorised consumption. Most Australian utilities used assumptions from the International Water Association, while UK utilities used figures developed internally due to stringent Ofwat regulatory reporting requirements.

Benchmarking also highlighted varying levels of confidence in the apportioning of real losses across different asset classes - transmission mains, distribution mains, service connections. This ranged from applying basic ratios across asset classes through to detailed bottom-up analysis using bursts and background estimates (BABE) methodology.

The study found the most common challenges faced by utilities is understanding NRW components in real-time, as well as the high cost and difficulty in monitoring all forms of water loss.

The review looked at four leakage management pillars - pressure management, active leakage control, speed and quality of repairs and pipeline and assets management. 

During the webinar Harris compared the approach to these four pillars in the UK and Australia.

1. Pressure management

According to Harris, UK utilities “have been doing a really good job in this space and generally have a more mature history in pressure management, at higher levels of investment than Australian peers. This has resulted in UK utilities with a significantly higher density of PRVs [pressure release valves] and DMAs [district metered areas] per length of main relative to Australian utilities.”

The study found fixed outlet PRVs are the most common across the peer group, although it noted some UK utilities are moving towards advanced control and investing in higher level technologies, including remote-controlled pressure modulation.

2. Active leakage control

Australian utilities have much higher levels of customer reporting of leaks than the UK, with most leaks identified in Australia reported by customers. In contrast, UK utilities have higher use of proactive leak detection teams and active leak detection technologies.

The study found some UK utilities have begun investing in large quantities of fixed-in-place acoustic sensors and other sensors to provide constant measurement, monitoring and to a lesser degree, modelling of leaks. 

3. Speed and quality

Australian utilities are highly regulated with respect to response and repair of leaks and bursts, with a strong focus on reducing timeframes. Many have reprioritised their response regimes to account for recent drought conditions and rising community expectations. They are investing in their response crews and establishing additional frameworks for key performance indicators for inhouse and outsourced workforces. 

Higher levels of bureaucratic challenges for third parties were generally noted by UK utilities where they needed to gain access to assets to repair leaks. 

4. Asset management

Australian utilities generally have a younger asset base with lower proportions of cast-iron mains than UK utilities. Australian utilities have a higher investment focus in asset management (including water main renewals) than UK participants, which is generally supported by higher retail pricing. 

Significant data gaps were observed for service connections across all participants. 

Three ‘disruptive’ leakage technologies highlighted

Utilities seeking new technologies to tackle NWR were treated to presentations on three emerging technologies during the Water Action Platform webinar. These included an artificial intelligence (AI) platform, a multi-function ultrasonic water meter and a unique mobile app. 

FIDO – end-to-end leak detection

This cutting-edge AI platform and field device uses rapid machine-learning to ‘listen’ and interpret the unique data trail left by leaks. The patented algorithm works by first analysing up to 2,000 audio and kinetic files an hour to locate leaks to within 100m. Then, via a pocket-sized field device, the location can be pinpointed to within a metre. 

 “We all know the damage of non-revenue water is environmental, financial, commercial and reputational,” said FIDO chief executive Victoria Edwards. “There’s some great technology out there, you’ve got acoustic loggers, hydrophone satellites, big data analytics, old-fashioned listening sticks and even sniffer dogs, but it’s all proprietary technologies – disparate and disjointed. FIDO has taken a holistic approach to leak detection. It’s simple, rugged and easy-to-use.” 

FIDO, which is based in the UK, has entered a five-year framework with United Utilities and there are more UK deployments planned.

Kampstrup – domestic ultrasonic water meter 

Next was Danish company Kampstrup’s FlowIQ 2200 – an ultrasonic domestic water meter which includes a built-in acoustic leak detection system. It can be used to identify leaks in customer properties, service pipes and, in some cases, connecting mains. It is the first smart meter on the market to detect leaks both on the customer side, using non zero flow detection, and upstream of the meter, based on acoustic noise detection. 

After introducing the FlowIQ into the EU market in 2019, more than 200K meters have been installed and more than 500 leaks found in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, France and the US.

SmartValve – cross-platform mobile app 

Valve operations are an essential part of managing and maintaining a water supply system, however, they can pose a considerable risk to the network if carried out in an unsafe manner. This mobile app - created by UK company SmartValve - monitors, schedules and manages manual valve operations across a water network. 

The technology is unique, with no known competitive products and has a patent pending. 

It has been developed and tested in cooperation with UK water companies, several of which have deployed and trialled the system. More trials are planned or underway in France, Australia and New Zealand. 

Connect and collaborate 

For more on NRW and leakage, visit the Water Action Platform’s knowledge hub, which provides a place for external stakeholders to connect, collaborate and share information and best forms of practice with each other> https://www.wateractionplatform.com/knowledgehubs

13th October 2020

Diversity and inclusivity ‘lacking’ in the water sector

The lack of diversity and inclusion in the water sector, along with the latest research on Covid-19, features in updates presented to the Water Action Platform community in October’s webinar. The learnings are taken from information shared in WhatsApp groups accessed by over 1,100 people in utilities in 88 countries, alongside insight and analysis from technology consultancy Isle’s expert team. 

This peer-to-peer knowledge-sharing community is sponsored by leading water industry partners. Here are the latest learnings from the Water Action Platform, selected from the webinar broadcast on 8 October which was presented by Piers Clark, chairman of technology consultancy Isle.

Webinar 19: Top six learnings

1.Diversity and inclusivity ‘lacking’ in the water sector

Earlier this month Northumbrian Water hosted a diversity and inclusion seminar as part of its recent innovation festival. It explored a broad range of issues including gender, race, religion, sexuality and disability, and asked ‘how’ and ‘why’ the industry needs to do better.

Around 40 water organisations from around the world got involved and it became apparent just how ‘lacking’ the water sector is at diversity and inclusion. 

For example, in the water sector, Black and minority ethnic (BAME) workers represent 5% across energy and utilities compared with 15% across other sectors. In addition, female workers represent 20% across energy and utilities, compared with 47% across other sectors.

The event resulted in a comprehensive report being produced which presented the ‘good, the bad and the ugly’ of the current state of the water industry. It also includes examples of best practise, and most importantly actions that companies must take to ensure meaningful change. 

 As a result the Water Action Platform is launching the Diversity & Inclusion Knowledge Hub. If you want to take part, please email Megan at wateractionplatform@isleutilities.com  

2.Covid-19: Wastewater is an effective early detection tool 

Wastewater-based epidemiology can help in the global fight against Covid-19 in particular, by providing an early warning detection system. Researchers from Yale University and the Connecticut Agricultural Experimental Station tracked the rise and fall of all the cases over a 10-week study. 

They concluded that when compared to conventional communal outbreak detection methods over the same period, the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in primary sludge was up to two days ahead of positive clinical tests, 1-4 days ahead of local hospitalisation and 6-8 days ahead of official reporting.

This data shows, again, how viral RNA monitoring in municipal wastewater could be a useful infection surveillance tool, particularly in communities facing a delay between specimen collection and the reporting of test results. 

3.Specialist support during a crisis 

Following the Beirut explosion in August, the Water Action Platform set up the Crisis Response Register (CRR) for water industry professionals who are open to being approached in times of national or international crisis. The CRR continues to grow in popularity with over 200 volunteers from 31 countries. 

Recent success stories include Oxfam Australia, who reached out to 32 Pacific-based CRR volunteers to help during the Monsoon season. 

Another example of the range of work undertaken includes an ongoing water contamination issue in a Lebanese village. Local project coordinators are trying to identify the source(s) of contamination with limited technology at their disposal. Ultimately, they want to find a sustainable, long-term, fit-for-purpose solutions and are working with a number of CRR volunteers to achieve this.

A disaster-relief organisation which provides training and support during humanitarian crises is looking for more trained, qualified professionals to provide support on water and sanitation. RedR also has a roster of professionals to provide support during a crisis and has paid posts that last from three months to two years. 

To find out more go to https://www.redr.org.au/humanitarian-roster/what-is-it/

4.How safe are water sector workers during the pandemic? 

A paper from the KWR institute in the Netherlands has looked at that recurring question of whether wastewater is infectious – and the answer is a clear no. For those in the sector these findings are reassuring.  

Broadly the safety advice has not changed from the start of lockdown. The adoption of standard good health and safety practises and standard personal protective equipment for water utility workers is both safe and effective.

5.Stability of utilities in developing countries under threat 

This month’s webinar featured an interview with Peter Macy, founder and president of ROCKBlue, which looked at the complex issues around the financial stability of utilities in the developing world, and the impact of the pandemic – which has sent many teetering on the edge of a complete financial crisis.

ROCKBlue helps utilities in Africa secure much needed finance and respond to challenges in order to minimises water disruption, strengthen the relationships between communities, customers and utilities and enhance the long-term financial viability and durability of utilities.  

Macy reported that in the early days of the pandemic many utilities were already seeing 30 to 40% drops in revenue, however the forecast is for up to 70% drops over the coming months. ROCKBlue is working with several utilities to help them predict future scenarios for better mitigation plans, carry out rigorous financial monitoring and coordinate between organisations, governments and the private sector.

He added it is just as important to address the long-term resilience and the need for increased training and backup staff; more secure forms of payment, such as pre-paid meters; privatising parts of the operation and working with the regulators to increase rates. 

6. Ask for a mask

A paper in the New England journal of medicine has suggested wearing a face mask may inadvertently give people immunity from Covid19, by both decreasing chance of catching it, and decreasing suffering if you do. The recommendation to wear masks in public was originally made so that asymptomatic people or pre-symptomatic carriers would not infect others. 

However, evidence is accumulating which shows a mask wearer is exposed to a lowered initial viral load – enough to trigger an immune response and train the immune system, but not enough to make you seriously ill. This is called variolation and was a vaccination process up until the late 1700s.

To find out more about any of the topics listed, the Water Action Platform webinar 19 can be viewed here.

The next monthly webinar takes place on 12 November 2020 at 7.30am and 4.30pm BST. To sign up to receive an invitation click here.

15th September 2020

TasWater response to Covid-19 is platform’s ‘most-read’

A paper explaining how Australian water and wastewater utility TasWater responded to the Covid-19 crisis is the most-read document on the Water Action Platform. Welcoming a presentation from TasWater chief executive Michael Brewster on the platform’s now monthly webinar, Isle chairman Dr Piers Clark said, “Mike wrote a board paper on how TasWater coped in a post-Covid world. It now stands as the most requested document on the Water Action Platform, having been accessed by over 50 utilities all around the world.”

The Water Action Platform is an initiative dedicated to collaboration and knowledge-sharing in the water sector and is sponsored by leading water industry partners. It pools experience and expertise from utilities around the world and started as a response to Covid-19, but now encompasses a much wider range of topics.

Key learnings are taken from information shared in WhatsApp groups accessed by over 1,100 people in utilities in 88 countries, alongside insight and analysis from technology consultancy Isle’s expert team. Here are the latest learnings from the Water Action Platform, selected from the webinar broadcast on 10 September.

Webinar 18: Top six learnings

1. Covid-19: Innovation and productivity fared well at TasWater

New ways of working due to Covid-19 increased the pace of change and innovation from years to weeks, according to TasWater chief executive Michael Brewster. Speaking on the Water Action Platform webinar, he said, “Some of the things that we tackled in weeks would have taken months or even years in the past - with new ways of doing things - design sprints, agile design principles, embracing new digital technology, new productivity gains and obviously with everybody moving to work from home. 

“And while it’s largely anecdotal, productivity appears not to have been too badly impacted, in fact, it’s very difficult to find areas where productivity has dropped off.”

2. Holistic risk index can help prioritise water investment

A new water security risk index for Covid-19 that rates countries in the Indo-Pacific region according to their holistic Covid-19 risk was described as “brilliant” by Piers Clark. The aim is to identify which water-based interventions might give the most impact and it allows users to understand and prioritise the investment that could reduce risk in the short, medium and long term. 

Clark said, “It’s the best such tool I have seen so far and through this platform I have seen a lot of them. It’s very simple to use and uses elements of health, economics and water security to assess each country’s ability to respond.”

The index funded by the Australian government through the Australian Water Partnership and implemented through the International WaterCentre in Brisbane and Griffith University, Queensland.

3.Wastewater testing detects Covid-19 in student dorm

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has stopped a Covid-19 outbreak at a US university before it even began. According to the Washington Post, the University of Arizona has been monitoring wastewater emitted from student accommodation and found viral DNA from SARS-CoV-2 in the wastewater of a dormitory, even though the 311 residents had tested negative a couple of days before.

Two students were found to be asymptomatic but tested positive. They were quarantined and an outbreak averted.

4.Happy Tap roll-out could save many lives

A tiny entrepreneurial team that had already developed a robust and water efficient handwashing station prior to Covid-19, is raising funds for expansion into new international markets. The easy-to-install Happy Tap is recommended by the World Health Organisation and UNICEF for Covid-19 response and is already being used in UK schools and in communities in Cambodia, Vietnam and Bangladesh.

Piers Clark said, “This is story of entrepreneurial spirit and foresight which could lead to saving the lives of many people around the world. We all know that washing hands is vital in the defence against the virus, but this advice rings hollow if you don’t have access to water.” 

5.Typhon UV system offers 90% energy saving

An LED-based ultra-violet (UV) water treatment system developed by UK company Typhon Treatment Systems has demonstrated exceptional energy efficiency over conventional UV systems and has been validated by US Environmental Protection Agency protocols. Recent large-scale tests with a UK utility, to remove the taste and odour impacting compound geosmin, exceeded expected performance.Typhon claims to have the most optically and electrically efficient method of applying UV radiation from LEDs. The light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are mounted on a complex array of reflectors that evenly distribute photons, inactivating microrganisms without the need for mercury or submerged lamps. Piers Clark said, “Capital costs seem to be similar to conventional mercury UV equipment, but the big saving comes from the energy efficiency, with a 90% saving over current state-of-the-art UV systems.”

6.Tests show virus reach from toilet flushing 

Scientists have reported on the discovery of SARS-CoV-2 ribonucleic acid (RNA) on bathroom surfaces in a long-vacated sixteenth-floor apartment in Guangzhou, China. They believe the matter arrived there via faecal wastepipe aerosols from toilet flushing in the apartment below where five people had contracted Covid-19.

The collaborative team from China, USA and Australia carried out an onsite tracer experiment that showed how virion-sized particles in aerosols from toilet flushing could reach bathrooms up to 12 levels above in high-rise blocks with connected sewage collection. A fluid dymamics simulation showed a “massive upward transport of the virus aerosol particles during flushing,” which had led to indoors spread of the virus. 

Advise to concerned residents is unchanged: open windows often, wash hands with soap and water frequently and clean surfaces thoroughly.

To find out more about any of the topics listed, the Water Action Platform webinar 18 can be viewed here.

The next monthly webinar takes place on Thursday 8 October 2020 at 7.30am and 4.30pm BST. To sign up to receive an invitation click here.

25th August 2020

Remote access gave utilities Covid-19 advantage, says review

Water utilities who already had remote access to their systems were at an advantage when Covid-19 lockdowns were introduced around the world. The information comes from a report carried out by technology consultancy Isle on behalf of the Water Action Platform collaborative initiative.

The study’s aim was to find technologies that can help water utilities deal with the coronavirus public health crisis. Isle’s technology analysts asked utilities around the world about their specific challenges in the technical, organisational and operational spheres.

Speaking on the Water Action Platform webinar on 20 August 2020, Isle’s Covid-19 lead, European director Matthew Stephenson said, “This technology review has involved a study of the latest global understanding of the virus in relation to water and wastewater. The most significant impacts on water utilities were the disruption and complication of lockdowns, social distancing measures and staff absence due to illness. 

“From early discussions with some water utilities, those who already had remote access to their systems were clearly at an advantage when lockdowns began. One could argue that remote access to systems has been the single most important technology during the pandemic.”

Isle’s analysts found 28 technologies that remove or reduce the need to travel to site and offer incremental steps towards a more remote utility operation. These include KickTheMap, a mobile app developed in Switzerland, which enables users to carry out instant 3D-mapping, which Stephenson said was “very useful for initial site surveys and risk assessments”.

Another was Vuforia Chalk, an artificial intelligence platform from US-headquartered Rockwell Automation, which allows teams to communicate online and share knowledge intuitively. “Perhaps of real use in standby situations where there may not be enough time to get to site,” said Stephenson.

Some 200 technologies were reviewed by Isle’s analysts for the Technology Horizon Scan and 100 suitable solutions found, which are now accessible on a purpose-built online portal. The review was split into four components:

• Virus detection and testing

• Removal and deactivation of the virus

• Remote monitoring and control

• Solutions to help manage the crisis as a whole.

The focus for technologies that can detect the virus in water and wastewater was on field kits offering rapid indication of the presence of SARS-CoV-2. Technologies from Texas-based Water Lens, Luminultra, which is headquartered in Canada, and UK company Oxford Nanopore are all highlighted.

Systems that can make sense of the test data by connecting results with location and advanced analytics for wastewater-based epidemiology were also featured. Technologies highlighted included those from GoAigua in Spain, Biobot Analytics (US) and Kando (Israel/US).

The advice of the World Health Organisation is that traditional water and wastewater processes are sufficient to remove the risk of the virus entering into the water system. However, the review sought specific evidence about which parts of various treatment trains could remove or deactivate the virus in order to give utilities greater clarity and confidence.

Chlorine-based disinfection and UV treatment were found to be particularly well evidenced, but definitive research on ozone treatment was not found by the study. On removal of SARS-CoV-2, it is already known that the larger pore sizes of microfiltration do not guarantee removal of the virus, while the many ultrafiltration, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis technologies, which all have pore sizes less than 50nm are effective.

Other technologies highlighted included devices for physiological surveillance to manage staff health. They include many for the fast or mass monitoring of temperature and wearable devices for monitoring vital health indicators, even coughs.

“The Covid-19 Technology Horizon Scan has been fantastic in bringing forward technologies that we wouldn’t usually have been looking for,” said Stephenson. “We have seen a huge array of digital solutions, many around communications, that utilities can pick up and use very quickly.

“The report is also very valuable to utilities in understanding the evidence behind different treatment technologies, to give them the full picture.”

The Technology Horizon Scan: Managing COVID-19 was funded by 23 water utilities and banks from around the world. For more information contact matthew.stephenson@isleutilities.com.

Water Action Platform webinar 17 also includes the latest research on wastewater epidemiology and Covid-19 and an update on the Crisis Response Register, set up to support organisations on the ground in crises such as the recent explosion in Beirut. It can be viewed here. https://www.wateractionplatform.com/webinars

The next biweekly open webinar takes place on Thursday 10 September at 7.30am and 4.30pm BST. To sign up to receive the invitation click here. https://www.wateractionplatform.com/contact

18th August 2020

Call for water professionals to join crisis response register

A new centrally held register of water professionals who can contribute to disaster efforts has been launched by the Water Action Platform. The Crisis Response Register has been set up initially as a response to the explosion that occurred in the port of Beirut, Lebanon on 4 August and is intended to be a permanent record.

Dr Piers Clark, chairman of Isle Utilities, which hosts the Water Action Platform said, “We are launching the Crisis Response Register for water professionals who feel they may have something they could contribute – be it for Beirut or any future disasters. Whether you work within a water utility directly, or are part of the supply chain - contractor, consultant, tech company - your input, and perhaps that of your organisation, could makes a difference.”

The explosion was linked to inappropriate storage of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate and more than 200 people died and 7,000 injured in the blast. In addition, 300,000 have been made homeless and up to US$15bn of damage caused. 

Dr Clark explained, “My thoughts turned to the water and sanitation challenges that this accident has created in a country which already had unsatisfactory infrastructure. For thousands of families the coming winter is going to be incredibly tough. 

“Ensuring that there is no cholera outbreak and protecting them from Covid-19 are going to be particular challenges.”

Clark said that over 72 hours he spoke to multiple organisations and relief agencies, thinking that there would be a register of global water professionals who could be called upon in times of crisis, but time and again was told that no such register existed. 

“In fact, I was told, if such a thing did exist it would be hugely valuable,” he revealed. 

“There are many excellent, highly capable and well-equipped organisations and charities who are working hard to address the immediate needs,” says Clark. “What we are creating here is a register of water professionals who can be called up to support these organisations.

“I’m sure I’m not alone in wanting to apply my professional knowledge to help and I urge anyone who feels the same way to register today.”

Industry professionals wishing to join the Crisis Response Register can watch Dr Clark’s personal appeal and register here https://www.wateractionplatform.com/crisis-response-register

30th July 2020

Major role for wastewater epidemiology in tackling Covid-19

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has a significant part to play in identifying ‘silent’ Covid-19 cases in the community, research presented at the latest Water Action Platform webinar demonstrates. The regular webinars, which are open to all, are hosted by Isle chairman Dr Piers Clark and look at the new coronavirus and global pandemic through a water industry lens.

Insights from academia and the experiences of utilities around the world are shared, along with expert analysis providing insight into broader developments in science and technology bringing change in the world of water and wastewater. Here is a round-up of learnings from the fifteenth Water Action Platform webinar, which took place on 23 July.

Webinar 15: Six key learnings

1. Virus found in Brazilian sewage months before first reported case

Recent research from the Federal University of Santa Catalina in Brazil adds to the body of evidence that wastewater has a role to play in identifying presymptomatic or asymptomatic cases of Covid-19 in the community. A preprint (not yet peer-reviewed) academic paper identifies the presence of the virus in two separate samples taken in state capital Florianópolis on 27 November 2019 - two-and-a-half months before the first case was reported in the area - and in subsequent samples up until March 2020. The research also shows the relationship between ribonucleic acid (RNA) detected in sewage and the scale of the outbreak. Water utilities around the world are revisiting stored wastewater samples to help identify when the severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) first appeared.

2. Wastewater epidemiology has major role in identifying ‘silent’ cases

The latest research showing the risk posed by “silent transmission” of Covid-19 from asymptomatic and presymptomatic infections also helps make the case for WBE.

An academic paper from four universities in Canada and the USA, featured on the Water Action Platform, demonstrates that the majority of Covid-19 infections may be attributable to silent transmission from presymptomatic and asymptomatic cases.

Presymptomatic stage and asymptomatic infections together account for over 50% of transmission. Consequently, even immediate isolation of all symptomatic cases is insufficient to achieve control.

Symptom-based isolation needs to be supplemented by testing that identifies asymptomatic and presymptomatic cases to control the spread of the disease.

Dr Clark says, “This research indicates more strongly than ever before that the current symptom-based isolation approach adopted by many countries has to be supplemented by a rapid track-and-trace system. This is exactly where a WBE system that can give an early warning of an outbreak has a major part to play. We must keep working to make this a reality.”

3. Video reveals top 10 things to know about Covid-19

As the water industry seeks to bring personnel up-to-speed on Covid-19, the Water Action Platform has released a new video top 10 of essential facts. The three-minute recording is presented by biochemist and microbiologist Dr Jo Burgess, who is leader of the knowledge hub on SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater.

This handy guide is openly available on the Water Action Platform and Isle’s YouTube channel and is a useful training tool, explaining terminology, how soap kills SARS-CoV-2, and why research on the SARS that caused the 2004 epidemic is still useful today. A longer eight-minute lecture by Dr Burgess is also available.

The videos can be found here.

4. Flushed PPE putting pressure on sewage works

Increased use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the last few months has meant a massive increase in unsuitable items being flushed. These are blocking sewers and collecting at the heads of sewage works around the world, creating a range of problems.

In Zahgreb, the capital of Croatia, a public appeal was made after the central water treatment system became clogged with a large quantity of unflushable items including disinfectant wipes, respiratory masks and latex gloves.

“To make matters worse,” said Piers Clark, “the workers had to clean the purifier by hand, thus exposing themselves to further risk. The importance of flush-it campaigns is now more important than ever.”

5. Self-powered sensors could revolutionise condition monitoring

Asset monitoring technology company 8Power, a spinout from the University of Cambridge, has developed a sensor that can monitor industrial assets using vibration energy harvesting (VEH). In a world where remote monitoring is becoming ever more important, these fit-and-forget devices that self-power both the sensor and the wireless communications for at least ten years, have no need for battery changes or other energy sources.

Dataflows from equipment such as motors and pumps can be picked up and analysed on a mobile phone, alerting operators early on to potential issues with equipment. Research with one UK water company shows that 8Power’s devices can save up to 10% of a utility’s reactive maintenance budget, which can represent £millions for some organisations.

Paul Egan, chief executive of Power8 says, “Sensors are only going to get smarter so they’re going to need more power. Bigger batteries are not the answer, so it has to be a change - we believe that’s going to be energy harvesting. Removing the problem of having to change batteries is going to accelerate the adoption of these kinds of technologies.”

Find out more here.

6. Gamification can encourage 10% water savings

A collaborative European SmartH2O project has reported on a gamification trial that shows how household water consumption can be reduced by adopting a playful approach. Gamification is the use of computer game design elements in non-gaming concepts and in this European study, people were encouraged to compete to save water using comparative visualisations and water-saving tips with rewards attached.

The results showed an initial peak of water-saving activity that eventually settled down to a constant level, which, after adjusting for seasonal variations, represented a saving of around 10 per cent.

“As we enter into the summer drought months, solutions like this may prove to be very cost effective,” said Dr Clark.

A link to the paper can be found in the artificial intelligence and digital knowledge hub on the Water Action platform.

The 30-minute Water Action Platform webinar and links to the academic references can be viewed here.  The online network, initially set up by consultancy Isle as part of the water industry’s response to Covid-19, is growing rapidly and now boasts 960 members and over 472 organisations from 69 countries, with Guatemala, Croatia and Egypt being the latest to be represented.

Taking part

The next webinar takes place twice on Thursday 6 August and is open to utilities, organisations and companies across the water sector. There are two time slots to accommodate time differences - 7:30am and 4:30 pm BST (UTC+1). Register here.

16th July 2020

Latest learnings from the Water Action Platform

Assessing risk and determining responses to Covid-19 were major themes of the most recent Water Action Platform webinar which took place on 9 July.  Here are six key learnings from the interactive event which was hosted by Isle chairman Piers Clark.

1. Expect seasonal resurgence of Covid-19 

Recent research shows that we can expect resurgence of Covid-19 due to seasonal fluctuations. In an interview on the Water Action Platform webinar on 9 July, hydrologist Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm, Chair and Professor at University of Maryland said research into the environmental conditions needed for virus outbreaks to “explode” showed the sweetspot for temperature was between 5-11oC and for relative humidity, between 40-70%. He also explained that this information is not yet included in predictive models.

Miralles-Wilhelm said, “We do expect resurgence of the virus. It’s a seasonal virus like influenza. As we have very good ways to predict weather and climate we can expect to see a resurgence in November/early December in the northern hemisphere. 

“If we are prepared and take the social distancing measures needed, we can minimise the impact. We have plenty of warning, there is no excuse for not being ready.”

2.Wastewater detection can give early warning on Covid 

The potential for wastewater to act as an early-warning-system for outbreaks of Covid-19 in communities is being demonstrated by Canadian technology company LuminUltra. Repeatedly testing everyone in a given population for Covid-19 may not be feasible, but identifying and quantifying the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in their collective wastewater can serve as an early warning system, alerting health authorities.

Patrick Whalen, chief executive, LuminUltra said, “The science is still evolving but what we know is that people not only infect others directly, but also through air and surfaces. There is potential for wastewater to act as early warning system, to determine the presence of asymptomatic carriers without having to run tests directly on people.”

Responding to a government callout for technologies for diagnostic testing, LuminUltra contacted Public Health Canada and offered to help shore-up the supply chain for reagents.

The company has now produced 5 million quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) tests for Canada and is helping other countries. 

3. Sewage based epidemiology costs quantified

Participants in the Water Action Platform have been keen to better understand the cost of implementing a sewage-based epidemiological system. A new research paper from a collaboration between engineering consultancy Arup, KWR research institute in the Netherlands and Exeter University in the UK outlines the tasks and costs associated with designing an early-warning system and cites two main cost elements.  The first is the initiation phase during which systems are set up, for which the costs are estimated at £200,000. Deployment costs then have to be factored in and for populations of 3-5 million that could run up to £1 million, depending on localised variables.

Spanish technology company GoAigua has developed a similar pricing model which shows that costs vary depending on size and complexity of the utility and the number of samples, the cost of which ranges from US$30-50 dollars per unit. 

4. Far-UVC light inactivates coronaviruses safely

Recent research carried out in the US has shown that far-UVC light – wavelengths in the 207-222nm range - efficiently inactivates airborne human coronaviruses. It is well known that conventional germicidal UVC lamps, emitting 254nm wavelengths, can be used to disinfect unoccupied spaces such as empty hospital wards and train carriages, but direct exposure poses a health hazard to humans and cannot be used in occupied spaces. The new study from Columbia University Irving Medical Center found that more than 99.9% of seasonal coronaviruses present in airborne droplets were killed when exposed to a particular wavelength of ultraviolet light that is safe to use around humans. Far-UVC light cannot penetrate the tear film on the surface of the eye or the outermost layer of skin so it cannot damage living cells in the human body. Isle chairman Piers Clark said, “At these low dose rates, far-UVC exposure might well provide a method for reducing the virus in public locations. On its own this doesn’t solve the pandemic, but it’s definitely part of the solution.”

5. Very low risk of virus spreading through sewage

An ongoing review of the available academic literature by analysts from Isle continues to conclude that the risk of contracting Covid-19 through exposure to sewage is very low. A recent paper on transmission in recreational waters in the journal Science of the Total Environment says that while wastewater is a potential dissemination route for SARS-CoV-2 to recreational waters, there is limited data on the presence and viability of the virus in water bodies.

Isle chairman Piers Clark says, “More research is needed, but we hold to our previously stated conclusions that the risk of the virus spreading through sewage is very low.”

6. Workplace diversity accelerated at innovation sprint

A collaborative sprint on Improving Workplace Diversity in the Water Industry will take place as part of the Northumbrian Water Innovation Festival. The event, which facilitates sprints and challenges to help solve real-world water issues, will be delivered digitally and internationally for the first time and takes place from 14-17 September.

Isle is leading the diversity sprint which will take place 24-hours-a-day, over all four-days of the festival.

Isle chairman Piers Clark said, “We’re going to look at how we can improve workplace diversity in the water sector and I’m delighted that a much wider group can get involved than ever before, from anywhere around the world. We aim to highlight key issues, gather data and share best practice on a topic which very relevant, especially in light of the Black Lives Matter movement.”

Participants will need to take part in two 45 minute Zoom calls timed to suit different time zones. The event will start in the Asia Pacific region, then pass to Europe, then the Americas and then back to Asia Pacific. To get involved, email megan.ford@isleutilities.com. 

Taking part

The Water Action Platform webinar is open to utilities, organisations and companies across the water sector and can be viewed at https://www.wateractionplatform.com. The next webinar takes place twice on Thursday 23 July to accommodate time differences - at 7.30am and 4.30pm BST. Register here https://www.wateractionplatform.com/contact.

6th July 2020

Web platform launched to address Covid-19 challenges

A new website dedicated to collaboration and knowledge-sharing in the water sector has been launched by technology consultancy Isle. 

The Water Action Platform, which is sponsored by leading water industry partners, pools experience and expertise from utilities around the world. It started as a response to Covid19 but is now encompassing a much wider range of topics.

This dynamic platform will catalyse experiences within the global water network to foster responses to Covid-19, at scale, to protect lives and livelihoods. The Water Action Platform is open to all and will be especially useful to water utilities, technology companies, global industry groups, governments and financial and academic institutions. 

Isle chairman Piers Clark said, “Only through targeted global collaboration and coordinated action can we assist with the response to and recovery from this unprecedented health emergency. We aim to identify ways to support utilities and minimise impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on communities around the world where we can.

“I would like to thank all the individuals, companies and organisations that have come together and given the backing necessary to make this platform possible.”

A key feature of the Water Action Platform is a bi-weekly webinar, hosted by Clark, which is open to all. The most recent event was held twice on 25 June, to accommodate time zones, and six key learnings are highlighted below.

Six key learnings from the Water Action Platform 

1. Collaboration identifies 95 technologies addressing Covid-19 issues

Technology will play a key role as utilities seek sustainable, viable solutions to Covid-19 challenges. In early April, Isle carried out a technology scan of over 2,500 supply chain companies on behalf of Water Action Platform participants. 

More detailed research, funded by a collaboration of 23 utilities from across the world along with two development banks, has identified 95 technologies with a role to play in virus detection, removal, monitoring and contingency. The full findings will be revealed through the Water Action Platform in the coming weeks, meanwhile here is a breakdown of technology types identified:

• 8 for detecting and monitoring for the presence of Sars-Cov-2

• 32 with a proven ability to remove or deactivate Sars-Cov-1 or 2

• 29 for supporting remote work

• 26 that can help water utilities manage contingency in times of crisis

2.  UK nanopore technology offers early virus detection potential 

A molecule-sensing technology developed by UK company Oxford Nanopore could be on the cusp of a breakthrough into the water sector due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The company has developed the only technology that offers the sequencing of native deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) along with genuine real-time monitoring. 

The technology has been successfully applied in other sectors and can identify the DNA and RNA of microorganisms or virus in liquids by looking at the resistance created across the nanomembrane, which varies across different microbe species. 

Isle chairman Piers Clark said, “When I first saw Oxford Nanopore though Isle’s Technology Approval Groups, I thought this was a great technology looking for its killer application. With the ongoing discussions around Sars-CoV-2, RNA in wastewater and the potential this offers as an early detection system, that killer application might now be with us.”

3. Sewage epidemiology is increasingly valuable

The huge value and potential of using sewage epidemiology for scanning the spread of Covid-19 infection in populations is being revealed. Contrary to early assumptions, evidence based on sewage sample analysis now shows that the virus arrived in Italy in December 2019, rather than February 2020 as originally thought. While there are still questions around the reliability of the data, there is no evidence that the virus originated outside China. This is an exciting area to watch.

4. Two factors impact on the cost of implementing wastewater surveillance

The Water Action Platform community is very keen to hear how to cost implementation of an epidemiological wastewater surveillance system for Sars-CoV-2. This week, participants learned that costs vary depending on geographic location and availability of laboratory capacity at the appropriate biosafety level and access to commercial and university labs. More data is being gathered on the costs of epidemiological surveys and this will be reported at the next webinar on 9 July.

5. Utilities face huge revenue losses due to Covid-19

Utilities around the world anticipate a major loss in revenue due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The current prediction of the financial impact of Covid-19 on US drinking water utilities is approximately US$13.9 billion, representing an overall 16.9% financial toll. US wastewater utilities were expected to lose an estimated US$16.8 billion in revenue. The figures are based on an assessment commissioned by the American Water Works Association and the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies and feature in a report from engineering consultancy and contractor Black & Veatch. 

While no one knows what the final cost will be, Isle chairman Piers Clark says, “If this is the scale of impact in the US, where the majority of residents are able and willing to pay their water bills, the impact in other parts of the world is going to be even more extreme.”

6. Water vending machines provide affordable supplies 

The need for all communities to have access to affordable piped water supplies has become even more critical through the Covid-19 pandemic. Where that is not yet possible, the roll-out of solar-powered water-vending machines is providing a practical alternative. 

The water ‘ATMs’ are an economically viable and safe solution for urban and rural communities and India, Uganda, Bangladesh and Haiti are just a few of the countries where they are in use. Pricing is not much more than the cost of piped supplies and the purified rainwater is paid for via a water card, purchased from vendors and local shops. 

Share experience and expertise

The challenges thrown up by Covid-19 require global collaboration and knowledge-sharing. To join the community and find out how other organisations are responding and share valuable learnings, visit www.wateractionplatform.com and register to join the next webinar on 9 July 2020.

Sponsors

Sponsors of the Water Action Platform include the businesses, governmental organisations, financial institutions, academic institutions and trade and professional bodies listed below.

Unicef

Water Services Association of Australia

AquaFed

AfriAlliance

World Water Innovation Fund

Institution of Civil Engineers

Inheritance Enterprises

Instituto Tecnológico de Galicia

Atkins

Hydro International

Skion Water

Aqualia

Metito

LuminUltra Technologies

Andeye