Water & Wastewater Asia January/February 2022

NEWS
VEOLIA AND PARTNERS BUILD UP
EARLY WARNING SYSTEM FOR
IDENTIFYING COVID-19 VARIANTS
IN WASTEWATER
The Vigie Covid-19 solution now can track signs of
the Omicron variant in wastewater (Photo credit: Pixabay)
Veolia, the IPMC, start-up IAGE and the
Bataillon des Marins Pompiers de Marseille
(BMPM), continue their collaboration to
optimise Vigie Covid-19, their solution
to detect and quantify the presence of
SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. Launched in
September 2020, this method has already
made it possible to detect and quantify
the Alpha, Beta and Gamma variants, then
the Delta variant last summer, and now the
Omicron variant.
Used experimentally as a complement
to existing clinical data, the presence
of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater has the
potential to become a new indicator to
help manage the pandemic. In France,
the National Reference Laboratory
appointed by the Ministries for Health and
the Ecological Transition, has therefore
launched a process to harmonise and
consolidate such monitoring methods.
The Vigie Covid-19 solution is “the most
operational” in Europe for quantifying
SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater to date, Veolia
claimed. With the polymerase chain reaction
(PCR) screening techniques, the solution
allows to identify the presence of known
mutations originating from existing variants
and evaluate their concentration. Then, the
sequencing methods identify the mutations,
as well as the variants proportions.
Philippe Sébérac, technological and
scientific expertise director for Veolia,
commented: “With the success of our
third campaign that demonstrates the
effectiveness of Vigie Covid-19, we
are now ready, in agreement with our
partners, to make it available to a greater
number of stakeholders. A large-scale
rollout would make it possible, by
tightening up the territorial network, to
cross-reference these data with those of
local health authorities.
“Our method can thus constitute a
complement to clinical trials in the fight
against the spread of the pandemic,
by providing readable information and
dynamics consistent with the incidence
rates reported by health authorities in
Europe.”
DUPONT AND WATER.ORG PARTNER TO
INCREASE GLOBAL ACCESS TO SAFE WATER
Both organisations agree to bring sustainable water
solutions for people living in poverty (Photo credit:
Unsplash.com/Liz Martin)
DuPont and Water.org have partnered to
increase global access to safe water, with
a focus on communities most vulnerable
to the consequences of water scarcity. The
partnership combines the former’s technical
expertise in water filtration and purification
solutions with the latter’s expertise in financial
solutions to the global water crisis.
Both organisations intend to collaborate on
ways to innovate and deploy climate-resilient,
sustainable water solutions that can scale to
people living in poverty.
HP Nanda, global vice-president for DuPont
Water Solutions, elaborated: “We believe the
pending water crisis can be avoided, and
water can become abundant, affordable and
accessible to everyone – no matter where they
live.”
As a start, DuPont awarded Water.org an initial
grant to provide 100,000 people with one year
of access to safe water or improved sanitation,
in areas facing water scarcity and climate
challenges in the countries where Water.
org works. This includes India, Indonesia,
Bangladesh, the Philippines, Cambodia,
Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Mexico, Brazil,
and Peru. The funding supports Water.org’s
solution, WaterCredit, that is designed to
break down the financial barriers between
people living in poverty and access to safe
water and sanitation.
Kimberly Kupiecki, sustainability leader at
DuPont Water Solutions, added: “Reliable
access to safe water is a game-changer for
those who spend hours walking miles each
day retrieving unsafe water for basic needs.
It allows young children to attend school,
families to create wealth, and improves
health and wellbeing overall. SDG 6 – while
itself a critically fundamental goal for human
prosperity – is essentially interconnected
with almost every other goal for sustainable
development.”
6 WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022