Decentralised UV technology wins awards, attracts investors

The US company WaterHealth International, the innovator of affordable, decentralised water purification and disinfection systems, received US$ 3.8 million in new funding recently from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Acumen Fund, a global non-profit venture fund, and Plebys International, LLC.

WHI’s ultraviolet-based water purification and disinfection technology platform is modular and can be scaled to provide high-quality drinking water to a broad range of population groups. The company provides systems that deliver affordable water to urban populations and rural communities that lack access to municipal water supplies. A community water system fitted with this technology can deliver ten litres of potable water per person, per day to up to 2,000 people for less than $2 annually per person.

WHI’s technology has won numerous awards. In early November 2004, California’s Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose awarded Dr. Ashok Gadgil the prestigious Affymatrix Health Award, which recognises innovators of appropriate technology solutions to aid people by solving global challenges. Dr. Gadgil is vice president of Scientific Affairs of WaterHealth and inventor of the company’s UV Waterworks technology.