Veolia Water Technologies by GineersNow Engineering Magazine GineersNow Engineering Magazine September 2016 | Page 61

in the field of agriculture and
disaster adaptation.
THE CHALLENGES &
SOLUTIONS
GN: What are the greatest
challenges in the water
industry?
Carandang:
The
greatest
challenge in the water industry
aside from the adoption and
scalability of the technology is
the cost to distribute water to
the poorest and underprivileged
people. Majority, if not all, of
the people who lack accesses
to water are the ones who live
below the poverty line. They
do not have the means and
financial capability to because
aside from the skepticism of the
government, private corporations,
and NGOs of every country with
introduction of new technology
in their portfolio, they are also
looking on the profitability of
when they adopt it. I think that
if we just allow ourselves to really
focus on the problem and provide
and implement solutions, we can
truly achieve the change we
want. By doing a whole system
approach by utilizing, treating,
and distributing water.
GN: What do you think should
the
government,
private
companies and NGO of each
country do to get rid of these?
How do we provide water
accessibility to more than 7
billion people?
Carandang: In order for us to
provide water to more than 7
billion people across the world, we
must first have the political will
to implement stricter sanctions
and penalties to people and
organizations that fail to comply
with environmental regulations
which adversely affects our
fresh water sources and also to
prioritize projects and regulations
that will enable the connectivity
of the off-grid areas to the main
distribution system. Lastly, we
can also increase our supply
by impounding and utilizing
flood and surface water and by
recharging aquifers.
ADVICE TO THE YOUNG
ENGINEERS
GN: Please give advice and
words of wisdom about the
clean water campaign to our
young global audience. What
would you like to tell to the
millennials? Any inspiring words
that you can share?
Carandang: As we all know,
humanity is standing in a
threshold now and our generation
will be the one to carry the
burden of saving our planet. Still,
we need to remember that no
matter how deep the despair,
hope always rises out of it. We
are the new light of the world-
the ones who’ll guide humanity
to a promising future. For this
very reason, no matter what your
age, race, gender, or social status,
we can help each other and make
use of our knowledge, passion,
and dedication so that together,
we can make our world a better
place especially to our brothers
and sisters in need.
SEPTEMBER 2016
Clean Water Technologies
61