Partnership with Polish and Ukrainian utilities

Polish and Ukrainian utilities are working together to help recover impacted water and wastewater services from the conflict. An update is provided in the latest Water Action Platform.

Working together for water

The damage to Ukraine’s infrastructure because of shelling and bombing and lack of electricity is severely impacting water and sewage services.

One country providing substantial support to water utilities in the country is Poland, including equipment such as pumps and supporting recruitment.

Poland borders Ukraine and is currently managing the influx of refugees from the ongoing crisis. The Polish Waterworks Chamber of Commerce (PWCC) coordinates partnerships between Polish and Ukrainian water utilities.

Speaking in the latest Water Action Platform organised by Isle, Klara Ramm, an expert working for the PWCC said: “The financial support will be used for humanitarian and technical needs, including transport and much needed water supplies.”

Examples of assistance include the recruitment of Ukrainian refugees by Polish water utilities using a specialist website, and the coordination between 21 Polish water utilities to finance and transport 45,000 bottles of drinking water to eastern Ukraine.

To help tackle this, the Polish Waterworks Chamber of Commerce website also includes a list of equipment needed by water utilities in Ukraine to help repair the network, for example water pumps, fuel, and power generators.

The full interview with Ramm is available to watch, and live updates on the situation in the Ukraine are available here.

“The financial support will be used for humanitarian and technical needs, including transport and much needed water supplies.”

Meanwhile, wastewater specialist Dr David Tyler at the European Banks for Reconstruction & Development (EBRD) discussed the impact on the countries neighbouring Ukraine.

This includes how the influx of millions of refugees is impacting on the provision of water and waste services. To help combat this, the EBRD has announced a €2 billion recovery package to help impacted cities meet the increased demand.

Bringing safe water to Gambia

The webinar, presented by Piers Clark, chairman at Isle also included highlights from the company’s recent CEO peer-to-peer sessions on carbon net zero and an exclusive look at one of the first trials in Isle’s Trial Reservoir (TL) scheme in the Gambia. Trial Reservoir provides technology companies with risk-free access to trial loan funding. Launched in November 2021, it is evergreen as the repaid loans are recycled into further trials.

Trial Reservoir enables end-users to adopt technology with minimal financial risk, while simultaneously guiding and supporting trials from start to finish and ensuring best scientific practice is adopted.

With the loan only needing to be repaid if the trial is a success.

“One of the first trials in Isle’s Trial Reservoir scheme is not only helping to save carbon but also lives,” explained Dr Jo Burgess, head of the Trial Reservoir project.

“This trial supplies 500 previously unserved consumers and eliminates the use of paraffin and charcoal for boiling water at home.”

The trial has funded a drinking water treatment and distribution technology developed by eWATER Services. Its treatment, supply and e-wallet billing and metering system provides consumers in Wellingaraba, Gambia with potable water 24/7 using solar power and gravity.

It uses pre-payment SmartTags to enable SmartTaps that dispense water and deduct credit.

Local technicians maintain the system and local shops sell credit. Each SmartTap dispenses 1,000l/d and each litre saves 3.03kg CO₂ equivalent in reduced fossil fuel use.

“This trial supplies 500 previously unserved consumers and eliminates the use of paraffin and charcoal for boiling water at home,” said Burgess.

“The Trial Reservoir has enormous, universal potential globally to increase and accelerate uptake of clean technologies. By adopting this model, the industry can be catapulted to where it needs to be in the race against catastrophic climate change.”