Page 22 - Islands Business October 2022

Water

WOTA: A SOLUTION TO

WATER SHORTAGES?

By Samantha Magick be replenished by rainwater, and the whole process is auto-
mated. Once installed, the system is monitored by an array
A Tokyo-based start-up working on small-scale water recy- of sensors. WOTA has also developed a series of algorithms to
cling systems hopes they may help solve water shortages in automate water treatment and maintenance. And by deploy-
small island communities. ing hundreds of products in the market, WOTA can gather data
WOTA’s technology is a response to what it describes as a to improve these algorithms, says Yamada.
‘looming crisis’ in Japan, aging and deteriorating water in- “Our big challenge now is to drive down the costs,” he
frastructure and the prohibitive cost of providing subsidies to says, noting that it costs around US$6 per cubic metre of
keep water utilities solvent. The founders are also concerned water. That is more expensive than water rates in Japan, but
about the implications of pollution and climate change on cheaper than some European nations. WOTA aims to bring the
global water supplies. cost below Japanese water and wastewater rates by 2026.
WOTA believes part of the solution is breaking the reliance Last year WOTA received the Earthshot prize, which enabled
on big, centralised water utilities and instead developing Yamada to represent WOTA at COP26. Antiga and Barbuda’s
small infrastructure that can be installed in individual homes. environment minister heard him speak there. “He thought
In effect, it’s “a water cycle in each home,” says WOTA’s Vice it would be very interesting to test the technology on the
President Innovation, Ryo Yamada. island,” Yamada says. An MOU has now been signed and dis-
“In doing that, we think we can reduce the installation cussions have moved to designing and planning a pilot project
cost, the installation time, and the environmental impact in the Caribbean nation next year.
associated with constructing large scale infrastructure,” he “Small island nations in general, have a variety of water is-
contends. sues in a very compact area…so it’s an ideal place for a start-
WOTA has two products already in market. The WOTA Box up like ourselves to demonstrate our technology and show
is a portable shower that uses recycled water, and is mainly that we can solve these problems,” says Yamada.
used in evacuation centres to enable people to take showers It is conceivable that with modifications to suit local en-
after natural disasters. vironments, systems such as that being developed by WOTA
The second product, a stand-alone handwashing station, could be used in Pacific islands and atolls struggling with
was launched last year. It also recycles water and disinfects drought and chronic water shortages. Data collected during
mobile phones using ultraviolet light. The focus on handwash- the trial in the Caribbean will be useful, the unit price would
ing and hygiene at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic saw need to come down, and local technical support would need
it picked up by retailers, hospitals and restaurants around to be found and trained. But it is this type of innovation that
Japan. will be critical if Pacific Island communities are to become
WOTA is now working on a system that can recycle all climate resilient.
household wastewater, from kitchens, toilets and all other
grey water. The small amount of water lost in the system can editor@islandsbusiness.com

22 Islands Business, October 2022