Veolia Water Technologies by GineersNow Engineering Magazine GineersNow Engineering Magazine September 2016 | Page 55

social enterprises since the
infrastructure will be complete.
INTRODUCTION
GN: How does your company
define
clean
water
and
wastewater?
Allen: Clean water = safe to
drink. Drinking water standards
for each of our nine countries
and liters/per capita/per day
for basic water service are all
different. Wastewater = There
is no standard definition. We
are working in rural areas with
on-site sanitation and collection
of fecal sludge from latrines and
septic tanks. No sewer system,
therefore, no wastewater!
GN: How do people gain access
to clean water?
Allen: Household connections
and community water points.
We have an extensive monitoring
and evaluation program for
our district-level work. We track
over 40 indicators that measure
progress in 4 categories: Level
of service for water, the level
of sustainability for the service
provider (utility or service
authority), household data for
sanitation, and public institution
(clinics and schools) level of
service. We also have asset
registers and an exit strategy for
both water and sanitation – when
the districts can maintain reliable
and quality level of sustainable
service and aid independence
then Water For People can exit.
GN: Do we have limited access
to clean, drinkable water? Are we
running out of it?
Allen: Not running out – there
is enough water in the world. It
needs to be allocated adequately
to people/agriculture/industry,
with proper stewardship, to meet
the basic needs of all and treated
to be safe. In our districts, we
often have to develop secondary
sources as we have lost water
supply due to climate change.
THE MACRO LEVEL OF
THE WORLD’S WATER
TECHNOLOGY
GN: Where are we today? What
is the current situation of clean
water and wastewater?
Allen: 1.8 billion people globally
do not have access to safe water
and 2.4 billion people lack access
to adequate sanitation. This is a
global crisis! Each day, women
and children spend 200 million
hours collecting water for their
families –equivalent to 20% of
the US workforce dedicated to
continuously collecting water!
Additionally, 840,000 people die
each year from diarrhea from
contaminated water. Solving the
global water and sanitation crisis
would be a dramatic positive
change on health, quality of life,
and the economy. There is a 5:1
benefit to cost ratio. It will cost
$50B per year through 2030
to meet SDG6 (United Nations
Sustainable Development Goal
#6) which is water and sanitation
for all. The return on this
investment is incredible - $250B
per year! Without a doubt, the
investment is worth it!
governments, and communities
to create systems and services
that last. It isn't just about
digging wells, building water
systems, and installing toilets. We
focus our Everyone Forever model
on the long-term change and
societal progress in developing
(no longer third world) countries.
We deliver measurable impact
as we help build water and
sanitation infrastructure as
well as local institutions and
service authorities (utilities).
They operate and maintain the
systems for generations to come,
supported by local entrepreneurs
and market forces. We have
reached the tipping point in
several of our districts, and we
are now replicating and scaling
our model.
GN: What are the future
innovations that you or your
company is pursuing?
Allen: We are working on
innovations to scale and replicate
faster. We are pleased that others
are replicating Everyone Forever,
for example, in places like Bolivia.
GN: What impact have you
delivered (social, economic and
environmental)? Do you have
metrics or statistics of your
accomplishments?
Allen: We are implementing
our 2013 strategy to provide
sustainable services to 4 million
people. Currently, we have
reached over 600,000 and will
reach 4 million by 2022. In
2017 a second program will
begin for 3 million more people.
Our monitoring and evaluation
program (called EF Tracker)
is world-class. Also, we have
developed numerous water and
sanitation offices staffed with
GN: What are the latest water
technologies today?
Allen: There are new ones every
day. We have the technologies we
need. To successfully implement
technology we need national
leadership to prioritize water
and sanitation, governance,
regulation,
supply
chain
development, and investment
in infrastructure and institution
building (without corruption).
GN: Where is water tech heading
20 years from now? Are we on
the right track? Are we delayed?
Are we progressing?
Allen: Technologies to make
processes
more
efficient,
conserve water and improve
water quality are all under
continuous development, and we
are on track.
THE MICRO LEVEL OF
THE WORLD’S WATER
TECHNOLOGY
GN: What are the initiatives/
projects that you are doing (or
have done) that will provide clean
water to third world countries?
Allen: Our innovative approach
to development brings together
local entrepreneurs, technology,
SEPTEMBER 2016
Clean Water Technologies
55