WaterWOTA: A SOLUTION TO
WATER SHORTAGES?

By Samantha Magick
A Tokyo-based start-up working on small-scale water recycling systems hopes they may help solve water shortages insmall island communities.
WOTA’s technology is a response to what it describes as a‘looming crisis’ in Japan, aging and deteriorating water infrastructure and the prohibitive cost of providing subsidies tokeep water utilities solvent. The founders are also concerned
about the implications of pollution and climate change on
global water supplies.
WOTA believes part of the solution is breaking the relianceon big, centralised water utilities and instead developing
small infrastructure that can be installed in individual homes.
In effect, it’s “a water cycle in each home,” says WOTA’s Vice
President Innovation, Ryo Yamada.
“In doing that, we think we can reduce the installation
cost, the installation time, and the environmental impact
associated with constructing large scale infrastructure,” hecontends.
WOTA has two products already in market. The WOTA Box
is a portable shower that uses recycled water, and is mainly
used in evacuation centres to enable people to take showers
after natural disasters.
The second product, a stand-alone handwashing station,
was launched last year. It also recycles water and disinfects
mobile phones using ultraviolet light. The focus on handwashing and hygiene at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic saw
it picked up by retailers, hospitals and restaurants aroundJapan.
WOTA is now working on a system that can recycle allhousehold wastewater, from kitchens, toilets and all othergrey water. The small amount of water lost in the system can
22 Islands Business, October 2022

be replenished by rainwater, and the whole process is automated. Once installed, the system is monitored by an arrayof sensors. WOTA has also developed a series of algorithms toautomate water treatment and maintenance. And by deploying hundreds of products in the market, WOTA can gather data
to improve these algorithms, says Yamada.
“Our big challenge now is to drive down the costs,” hesays, noting that it costs around US$6 per cubic metre ofwater. That is more expensive than water rates in Japan, butcheaper than some European nations. WOTA aims to bring thecost below Japanese water and wastewater rates by 2026.
Last year WOTA received the Earthshot prize, which enabled
Yamada to represent WOTA at COP26. Antiga and Barbuda’s
environment minister heard him speak there. “He thought
it would be very interesting to test the technology on theisland,” Yamada says. An MOU has now been signed and discussions have moved to designing and planning a pilot projectin the Caribbean nation next year.
“Small island nations in general, have a variety of water issues in a very compact area…so it’s an ideal place for a startup like ourselves to demonstrate our technology and showthat we can solve these problems,” says Yamada.
It is conceivable that with modifications to suit local environments, systems such as that being developed by WOTA
could be used in Pacific islands and atolls struggling withdrought and chronic water shortages. Data collected during
the trial in the Caribbean will be useful, the unit price would
need to come down, and local technical support would need
to be found and trained. But it is this type of innovation thatwill be critical if Pacific Island communities are to become
climate resilient.
editor@islandsbusiness.com