Rosatom, a Russian energy firm, recently launched its mobile water purification system to the South African market to help improve the drinking water supply in the country.
The mobile water purification solution dubbed “Umkwa” has the capability of treating one thousand liters of water per hour, and is applicable in rivers, dams, oceans, and various water sources.
According to Ryan Collyer, the Acting CEO of Rosatom Central and Southern Africa, the mobile water treatment solutions is an intermediate solution for urban and rural settlements that have no access to clean water or are experiencing water disruptions due to failed municipal infrastructure.
Umkwa, designed and produced by JSC -Science and Innovations – a subsidiary of Rosatom, is a containerized system that can be mounted on a standard pick-up truck and deployed to consumers within a short period of time yet requires minimum maintenance.
The mobile units also use standardized filters and are suitable for a variety of applications, including construction sites, mines, hotels, hospitals, as well as municipalities and rural development programmes.
Rosatom offers various technologies for the treatment of water and has a vast amount of experience in water treatment and desalination.
Speaking, last year, at the technical hub at African Utility Week in Cape Town, Andrei Grinevich, Head of International Affairs of “Rusatom Smart Utilities” highlighted the company’s innovative “Smart Water” offer. The panel discussion “Assessing the potential of ground breaking water technological solutions” focused on various problems related to the availability of water resources in South Africa, and several experts from international companies shared their solutions for water treatment as well as water supply for municipal and industrial needs.
Grinevich presented comprehensive solutions for desalination, water treatment and water purification which suit the needs of arid regions across the world.
Rosatom’s mobile water purification system is expected to improve the drinking water supply in South Africa – being one of the waters scarce and drought-stricken countries in the world, with a below average rainfall per year, almost half the global average of 870 mm per year.
According to Rosatam, Umkwa is a multifunctional equipment suitable for sea water desalination. The mobile water treatment units use advanced ultraviolet (UV) disinfection and low-pressure reverse osmosis to treat water in accordance to WHO standards.
Of benefit to Africa is that the system is designed to be powered either by solar energy as well as gasoline. The success of the groundbreaking solution will see Rosatom invest in other African countries and thus contribute to providing access to clean drinking water.
