Japan’s WOTA water recycling technology could lessen scarcity impact in Jamaica
Published:Friday | October 21, 2022 | 12:05 AMAndre Williams/Staff Reporter
TOKYO, Japan:
JAMAICA’S water-supply woes could be eased if Japanese inventors of WOTA, a reusable water-treatment system that maximises conservation, get a foothold in the Caribbean.
Co-founder of WOTA Corp, Ryo Yamada, is enthused at the prospect, having recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Antigua and Barbuda to drive development in the Eastern Caribbean territory.
Yamada told The Gleaner that he and his team are eager to visit Jamaica for a case study.
The water executive said that WOTA, founded eight years ago, is seeking to change the way water infrastructure is built and to address global concerns about supply amid the challenges of climate change and pollution.
“By 2030, 40 per cent of the world’s population will be under water stress,” Yamada said. Noting that “smaller nations have a variety of water problems,” he said that WOTA’s technology is an ideal solution.
He was speaking on Tuesday to Caribbean and Pacific Island journalists during a tour of the WOTA facility located in Tokyo.
WOTA has already visited and conducted research in several island nations. However, Yamada told The Gleaner that Jamaica is not yet being eyed.
“We would make something that is very compact that could be installed in each home. You would have a water cycle for each home and, by doing that, reduce the installation cost, time and environmental impact,” Yamada said.
WOTA’s core technology achieves autonomous operation and maintenance of water treatment.
Currently, WOTA has two products in the Japanese market.
Its potable water-recycling plant is pitched as ideal for nations like Japan and Jamaica, which are affected annually by torrential rain, flooding, and hurricanes.
WOTA’s recycling handwashing stand, which was launched last year, is already being used in hospitals and major companies like Starbucks and McDonalds.
The company is currently working on a new model to recycle 98 per cent of household wastewater and using rainwater harvesting to replace any lost component.
Yamada acknowledges that the “yuck” factor often alarms the uninitiated in the evolving era of recycling.
“Toilet water is used in a different treatment and goes back into the toilet … ,” he said. “By 2026 (we intend) to bring down the cost of water, which is our main challenge.”
WOTA’s water-recycling model has won the prestigious environmental Earthshot prize, founded by the Royal Foundation.
The Antigua pilot project is slated to begin next year.
Yamada said that a family of four can use one cubic metre of water comfortably.
The company is also open to discussion with developers tapping its technology for their homebuilding models.
The system does need a reliable power source.
WOTA is aiming to launch a home-based model by mid-2024.
When asked about affordability, Yamada said that underground water systems of homes in countries like Antigua and Barbuda cost thousands of United States dollars.
He said recycled water is already used in developed countries like Singapore.
“They call it new water,” quipped Yamada, who will be visiting the Caribbean in November.