When things are going smoothly, why would someone bother to innovate? Where do ideas for innovations come from? How come some succeed but many do not leave the drawing board or the pilot stage?
Published on: 05/12/2008
Innovation in the water sector mostly comes through technical or technological breakthroughs [in] membranes and nanotechnology in water and wastewater treatment, water reuse and disinfection, the use of helium for tracing nonrevenue water, and for instance the use of rubber, plastic or polyethylene sheets instead of a concrete structure for water storage.
But recent years have also seen legal and institutional as well as financial changes. In 2005, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) introduced innovative financial products [including the] multitranche financing facility, sub-sovereign and non-sovereign public sector financing facility, local currency lending for the public sector, and refinancing modality. In 2007, Viet Nam passed legislations [that] transformed water from a social good to a business commodity and opened up the entire sector to change.
[It took] Singapore's Public Utilities Board (PUB) 30 years of research and experimentation before they perfected the multiple barrier process that [transformed] recycled wastewater [into] a source of safe drinking water. And even when the reclaimed water has passed world standards on safety, PUB continued to test the product in increments.
In a nutshell, an environment conducive to innovation in the water and sanitation sector is possible but only with a real partnership among research, industries, operators and clients, where risk would be properly identified, shared and managed among all parties.
Source: Hubert Jenny and Alexis Ngo, ADB, Dec 2008
At IRC we have strong opinions and we value honest and frank discussion, so you won't be surprised to hear that not all the opinions on this site represent our official policy.
