INTERVIEW: Page 3

We are ready to help Nepal to resolve water problems

Boaz Albaranes
Project Manager
Israel NewTech, Ministry of Industry, Trade & Labour, Isreal

Boaz Albaranes is a Project Manager at Israel NEWTech, the water and renewable energy national programme under the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labour of the Government of Israel. Madan Lamsal of New Business Age Pvt Ltd, talked to Albaranes on the sidelines of the 6th International Exhibition & the 3rd International Conference on Water Technologies, Renewable Energy and Environmental control (WATEC) 2011 held in Tel Aviv, Isreal from 15-17 November, focusing on its innovative water technologies and the possibility of technology transfer to Nepal. Excerpts:

If the Israeli companies see economic opportunities in Nepal, they will go there. But it’s a two-way process. Nepal should also be willing to accept new Israeli technologies to make a better use of its water.

Could you briefly tell us about water reuse technologies in Israel?

Water is precious; it's not to be wasted. There are a number of ways to either save water or to reuse it. Israel has developed many technologies to reuse water. Almost 50 per cent of these technologies are aimed at the recycling and treatment of waste water. For example, we take sewage water and make it drinkable or use in agriculture. Israeli waste water treatment technologies might be relevant for Nepal as well. Some Israeli companies are really innovative. For example, a company called MSP not only filters waste water but also produces energy out of it. Other companies like PH20 use electric shock to clean water. There are companies which use sewage water to produce biodiesel. In Isreal, almost 80 per cent of waste water is recovered for reuse. We are the Number One in the world in water reuse. Israeli technologies should prove very useful for countries rich in water because they can do many things with it.

Information about any other useful technologies that you would like to share with us?

Another very important issue is water management. Leakage is one of the most terrible problems in the water supply networks of many cities. According to latest statistics, about 25 to 30 per cent water gets leaked from the supply system in the world. In Israel, we have breakthrough technologies to monitor and fix water leakage. A company called CuraPipe in Israel can detect leaks and cracks in urban water mains through a computer network. It uses a "pig train" which passes through water hydrants, detects leaks and cracks there and plugs them with a viscous adhesive.

What does the government do to commercialise these innovations and the role of private sector in it?

First of all, let’s talk about the government. The government in 2006 started a programme called Israel NewTech. The idea was to promote the water sector in Israel. It started with some activities in the educational system such as grants for higher education, grants for universities, money for water companies, and money for marketing. It helped companies to market themselves. So, the government actually started the programme to help the water community. We have presence in all International Financial Institutions. So the government is actually helping the water community in a great way. The government also provides subsidises to companies to start new ventures. It also organises exhibitions to inform the world about our innovative products.

Coming to the role of the private sector, Israel is a very innovative and entrepreneurial country. Here, people first give importance to their necessities and then come business opportunities. The world water market is growing at least 2 per cent a year. In twenty years, it will be 50 per cent bigger than it is now. Not too many sectors are going to grow so dramatically in the next twenty years. Water and energy are two sectors that have immense possibilities. So, the Israeli private sector is engaged and very keen in executing new ideas.

Do you have government-to-government programme for technology transfer to the least developed countries? How can countries like Nepal benefit from these Israeli innovations?

We sign joint agreements and Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) with various cities, companies or countries. We can sign agreements with anyone from a company to a country. One of the areas of our focus is "From Innovation to Cooperation". So, we are ready to help the Kathmandu Metropolitan City with our innovative water technologies if they so wish. We are ready to help it resolve water related problems. There are some companies that are supposed to start some joint projects with the Pokhara Municipality.

First of all, we need to get connected with each other. Then only we can know each other, and understand each other’s problems. We have commercial offices around the world. For example, we have our offices in Delhi and Mumbai and any of these offices can work for Nepal as well. The company can introduce new technologies to Nepal. The municipalities in Nepal can send a delegation with a list of problems and Israel can provide the relevant solution to those problems.

Israel was the first country to establish diplomatic ties with Nepal. But may be because of geographical distance, not many economic activities have taken place between the two countries. Has the Israeli private sector ever thought of exploiting Nepal’s water resource?

The geographical location is not a problem. We sell a number of products to the US, Peru, Brazil etc that are farther than Nepal. The question is about the opportunities. If the Israeli companies see economic opportunities in Nepal, they will go there. But it’s a two-way process. Nepal should also be willing to accept new Israeli technologies to make a better use of its water. It should invite the Israeli companies. If Nepal continues to have governmental and other problems, international companies won’t be interested.

How encouraging is the export of these new technologies?

When we started in 2006 with Israel NewTech, the export of Israeli water facilities was worth about USD 700 to 800 million a year which was okay but nothing compared to the global market of USD 500 billion. So, we have been trying to increase our export. Over the last five years, it has grown to USD 6 billion. We aim to at least double it over the next five years.

Could you elaborate on the categories of technologies on display in this exhibition?

The technologies can broadly be divided into three categories—water technologies, renewable energies and environmental facilities. We started it six years ago mostly for water sector as the name says. But right now, it covers all parts of clean tech. Sometimes, companies combine the categories. For example, MSP produces energy by cleaning water. The company called Green City produces energy from slush. Some companies are monitoring the quality of air so it’s more environmental. There are over 200 exhibitors. If I have to categorize them, 50 per cent are related to water, 30 per cent to renewable energy and the remaining 20 to the environment.

Is it the most innovative exhibition when it comes to water technology?

Yes. The speciality of this event is innovation. Even the people who run bigger companies in this area have said that the exhibition is very unique.

Who are the major buyers of these innovative technologies?

It depends on the technologies. For example, some technologies might be relevant for the US while some may be relevant for Africa, some for Nepal, some for China and so on. So, it totally depends on the kind of technology and the problems of the countries.