GineersNow Engineering Magazine September 2016 Issue No 007

Ayyeka (IH2O '16)- Water Supply Installation in Bat Yam,
Israel
Lisa Petrykowska, Managing Director of Ignitia (IH2O '16)
best leverage the spotlight to
create the political, financial, and
technological solutions necessary
to unlock change. We think this
is a trend that will continue.
Our own view is that the water
industry is at an inflection point,
in that the infrastructure that
went in the early to mid-20th
century is due for replacement. In
other major markets like China,
Indonesia, India, and Brazil,
the reality of water scarcity is
setting in and it will become a
major spending priority for their
governments, both on the drinking
and wastewater side of things.
It’s a good time for any young
engineer to get involved because
the opportunities are vast and
international.
GN: What are the latest water
technologies today?
Tom: This year, our accelerator
is focused on the water data
space, and there are a number of
promising water technologies that
have emerged. Ceres Imaging is a
platform-agnostic aerial imaging
company that can reduce a
farmer’s water usage by 30%.
Ignitia, a social enterprise in North
Africa, helps small-scale farmers
manage drought through highly
accurate weather forecasting. For
communities served by outdated
lead pipes, ANDalyze offers a
hand-held sensor that can detect
lead concentrations in real time.
All of these technologies, if
deployed on a large scale, have
the potential to solve many of
the water problems that our world
faces.
GN: Where is water tech heading
20 years from now? Are we on the
right track? Are we delayed? Are
we progressing?
Tom: We think the first step has
to be data. For an undertaking the
size of fixing the water systems of
the world, we have to be able to
prioritize, and we can’t prioritize
without data. The water network
has to move from “Dumb” to
“Smart”, and fast. Alongside
data, we think that distributed
treatment and recycling will be a
huge deal. There is no question we
are progressing, but there is always
room for things to move faster
regarding water tech. Things will
look different in 20 years but the
central priority remains the same
- predictably deliver the right
quantity, at the right quality, to
the right place, when it is needed.
Sounds simple, and yet it’s an
incredible challenge!
THE MICRO LEVEL
GN: What are the initiatives /
projects that you are doing that
will provide clean water to third
world countries?
Tom: Our accelerator is a global
ecosystem for water innovation.
Several of the startups we work
with are focused on water
challenges in developing countries
- from the drought in Ghana to
arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh.
These entrepreneurs are on the
ground talking to locals and
building out solutions. One
example is DloHaiti, a venture
that provides clean drinking
water to locals in Haiti using a
decentralized production model.
With DloHaiti’s locally-operated
water kiosks, locals are able to
access drinking water without
relying on dirty and expensive
trucks to deliver it.
GN: What are the future
innovations that you or your
company is pursuing?
Tom: Data and “smart”
technologies are revolutionizing
our lives. We believe in the
potential of these same
technologies to transform the
water sector. Our accelerator
is embarking on a multi-year
initiative to provide a path-tomarket
for new data innovations
from early-stage companies.
Alongside our accelerator, we’re
spotlighting policy ideas that can
increase the deployment of data
technologies for water. The future
is data.
GN: What impact have you
delivered (social, economic and
environmental)? Do you have
metrics or statistics of your
accomplishments?
Tom: To date, we have worked
with over 550 startups from
SEPTEMBER 2016
Clean Water Technologies
73