WorldWide Drilling Resource

Constant Water Explored For Use in Ethiopia Adapted from Information by Constant Water Ethiopia remains one of the world’s most underde- veloped countries for potable water to its citizens. In recent years, Ethiopia has been one of the fastest growing economies in the world. As a result, urbanization is growing, especially in the capital Addis Ababa and other regional cities. The expanding housing development sector is not without problems - frequent power and water supply cuts are major challenges. Continued demand-driven construc- tion and outdated power infrastructure all contribute to re- curring and protracted power outages that impact the flow of water in cities. One Ethiopian business leader seeks to assure the availability of water even with power outages. Earlier this year, Dr. Addis Zeleke, founder and general manager of Addis Geosystems Co., Ltd andAddis Environmental Services in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, met with U.S.-based Constant Water Founder/CEO Judson Walls to explore the use of Constant Water systems to ensure and expand the availability of safe water and sanitation in his home country. Constant Water automatically activates in response to a power outage, providing 40-120 gallons of pressurized water to every faucet and toilet; and automatically resets, recharges and refills when power is restored. “As a provider of soil analysis, well drilling and groundwater services inside and outside Addis Ababa, we understand the chal- lenges of reliable water in both urban and rural environments,” Dr. Zeleke stated. Dr. Zeleke read about Constant Water’s backup system in Worldwide Drilling Resource ® magazine ( Are Your Water Well Customers Vulnerable to Power Outages? Page 17 of theAugust 2016 issue) and immediately recognized its potential. He visited the company’s headquarters in Warrenton, Virginia, to see the system first-hand and discuss how it might be employed in commercial and residential applications in Addis Ababa. In commercial or high-rise applications, multiple Constant Water systems in- stalled around a facility allows a prioritized and less capital-intensive approach to backup water. Relying on a single larger, expensive single system creates signif- icantly greater impact in the event of system failure. By using multiple systems around a building, each contributes a portion of the backup water requirements. Multiple small systems reduce the impact of failure associated with very large sin- gle-purpose systems. Space constraints also limit larger systems in more dense construction environments of our cities. Smaller systems are more easily integrated in new construction, or retrofitted in existing construction. Additionally, by identifying facility areas with the greatest need, systems can be deployed to high-priority areas first. “Power outages and municipal water supply interruptions are common inAddis Ababa,” said Dr. Zeleke. “We think Constant Water could be very important to assuring the availability of water to our citizens. Constant Water systems are the right level of technology for this application and for Ethiopia. It is a simple, rugged, reliable system that will be very easy to install.” Walls said his company is also ex- ploring international aid opportunities worldwide. “We’re confident Constant Water has a strong role in supporting the efforts of government and nongovernment organizations to expand the availability of potable water in disadvantaged coun- tries. There is a huge gap between the point of water production and the point of water consumption that exposes the water to a range of contaminants detri- mental to the goals of assuring clean water and hygienic practices. Integrating Constant Water in the planning stages can reduce the cost associated with “lay- ing pipe” across long distances, and put clean, pressurized water closer to the point of consumption,” concluded Walls. Dr. Addis Zeleke during his recent visit with Judd Walls. Booming construction in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, has led to power and water disruptions becoming a way of life, but not for long. 16 MARCH 2017 WorldWide Drilling Resource ®