{"id":4290,"date":"2017-03-23T06:58:37","date_gmt":"2017-03-23T06:58:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rsoftsolution.com\/blog\/causes-of-the-global-water-crisis-and-12-companies-trying-to-solve-it.html"},"modified":"2017-03-23T06:58:37","modified_gmt":"2017-03-23T06:58:37","slug":"causes-of-the-global-water-crisis-and-12-companies-trying-to-solve-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rbsitsoftwaresolution.in\/blog\/causes-of-the-global-water-crisis-and-12-companies-trying-to-solve-it.html","title":{"rendered":"Causes of the global water crisis and 12 companies trying to solve it"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

It\u2019s\u00a0World Water Day<\/a>. Time to wake up and take shorter showers. That is, if we\u2019re fortunate enough to have them. Water scarcity and pollution are persistent global problems. According to\u00a0End Water Poverty,<\/a> some 663 million people around the world have absolutely no <\/em>reliable\u00a0access to clean, safe water year-round. And two-thirds of the world population faces water scarcity for at least one month every year.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0the wealthy\u00a0US, we\u2019re facing a different kind of water crisis largely of our own making. In 2016 only 9 states reported safe lead levels in their schools\u2019 water supply<\/a>. Lead and copper contamination can come from irresponsible industry, aging pipes, ineffectual\u00a0water treatment plants and too little investment in our public water infrastructure.<\/p>\n

Droughts and natural disasters<\/a> can cut off access to potable and sanitary water anywhere in the world, too. Haiti is known as a \u201cpipeless nation,\u201d still recovering from 2010\u2019s catastrophic earthquake and consequent natural disasters. In Haiti,\u00a0only one-quarter of residents have access to toilets, according to the World Bank.<\/a>\u00a0And\u00a0it\u2019s hard to believe it, but giant freshwater sources in North America like Lake Mead in Arizona or the Colorado River may not be able to keep pumping to residents\u2019 homes and businesses much longer thanks to drought and pollution.<\/p>\n

Our daily consumption of water affects future supply, of course. Right now, according to research by WWF<\/a>, wasteful irrigation systems on farms consume about 70% of the world\u2019s freshwater, over double that of any other industry. By contrast, municipal water represents a mere 8% of global use. Bad irrigation practices in farming can hurt our water in other ways, washing pollutants\u00a0into rivers, streams or other freshwater ecosystems.<\/p>\n

At TechCrunch, we\u2019re lucky to see the hopeful ways that startups, investors and other organizations are\u00a0working to solve huge problems plaguing humanity with tech, including the global water crisis.\u00a0Here are 12 to watch:<\/p>\n

1. WaterO<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

WaterO is a purifying hardware that uses\u00a0reverse osmosis rather than carbon filters. The startup teamed up with the charity WATERisLIFE<\/a> to send 5,000 of the company\u2019s water filtration systems to help give Flint residents access to clean drinking water. The system uses pressure to push water through a membrane, leaving particles larger than H2O behind. It\u2019s effective in removing heavy metals like lead and mercury, along with chlorine and bacteria.<\/p>\n

2. charity: water<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Charity: water is focused on\u00a0helping people get access to clean water. Founder Scott Harrison\u00a0has gotten support from the tech community throughout the years, with entrepreneurs like Sean Parker and Michael Birch involved with the organization.<\/p>\n

3. The Human Utility: Detroit Water Project\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Backed by Y Combinator, TeeSpring and the Shuttleworth Foundation, The Human Utility is helping\u00a0low-income families get help paying\u00a0for their water bills so their taps won\u2019t be turned off by utilities leaving them thirsty in their own homes.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0WaterSmart<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

WaterSmart\u2019s software help the water industry\u00a0understand what\u2019s happening to every last drop of H2O. It aggregates and analyzes information from millions of water meters, predicts demand, and helps utilities communicate with customers about everything from leaks at home to service or rate changes. WaterSmart is making moves with a recent\u00a0$7 million raise at a $21 million pre-money valuation.<\/p>\n

5. Valor Water<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Backed by Y Combinator, Valor Water\u00a0helps utilities understand who is wasting and who is conserving water among their customers. With that data, they can target rate hikes at water pigs, and cut conservationists a good deal to incentivize responsible water use. The company previously competed in TechCrunch\u2019s Startup Battlefield in San Francisco.<\/p>\n

6. TOTO<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

TOTO\u00a0manufactures high-efficiency toilets and has been named a Water Efficiency Leader by the US Environmental Protection Agency, which lauded its sustainable manufacturing and advocacy efforts. The company\u2019s toilets clean themselves with electrolyzed water after every use. TOTO\u00a0invited TechCrunch to\u00a0test-drivo<\/a>\u00a0their latest\u00a0bidet-and-toilet model at CES this year, but our reporter declined since he was doing the story on camera.<\/p>\n

7. Pluto AI<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This company,\u00a0which was one of our favorites from 500 Startups\u2019 19th class, is developing an application of deep learning for water management.<\/a>\u00a0Pluto.ai uses data and machine learning to\u00a0predict infrastructure failures and to monitor water usage. The company is striving\u00a0to reduce operating costs at two of the 10 largest water companies in the world who it counts among its partners today.<\/p>\n

8. ImagineH20<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Imagine H2O is a water-focused accelerator and fund providing water entrepreneurs with \u201cthe resources, insight and visibility to launch and scale successful businesses.\u201d The company\u2019s annual water innovation prize rallies entrepreneurs to focus on solving different water-related problems with their technology.\u00a0This year\u2019s winner<\/a>, Utilis, uses satellite imagery and big data analytics to find leaks in underground water supplies to large, urban markets so that cities can stop them\u00a0and save that water for residential use.<\/p>\n

9. XPV Water\u00a0Partners<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"A\u00a0Toronto-based venture firm called XPV Water Partners<\/a> has developed a specialization around startups in the water industry, one of the most regulated\u00a0sectors in every nation. Its portfolio includes microbial monitoring tech startup LuminUltra<\/a>, water reclamation and reuse venture Natural Systems Utilities<\/a>, and Shenandoah Growers<\/a>, a grower of\u00a0organic herbs that uses\u00a090% less water than required with traditional farming methods, but no photo-sharing or dating apps.<\/p>\n

10<\/strong>.\u00a0Planet Water Foundation<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This nonprofit\u00a0installs water filtration systems in rural communities and at schools around the world so they can have clean, safe drinking water. The systems, called Aqua Towers,\u00a0trap harmful particles, and kill bacteria and viruses, providing 1,000 people with 10,000 liters of clean water per unit daily.<\/p>\n

11.\u00a0RWL Water\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

New York-based RWL Water builds\u00a0desalination plants\u00a0and wastewater treatment systems around the world. \u00a0The company works to provide a power supply to customers who are in geographically remote areas but need water to power their communities and businesses. Most recently, RWL\u00a0acquired a water plant in S\u00e3o Paulo, Brazil<\/a>, a market that has been struggling to keep its residents and businesses in clean water after a two year,\u00a0El Ni\u00f1o drought.<\/p>\n

12.\u00a0Bill Melinda Gates Foundation<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Bill Melinda Gates Foundation is a tour de force\u00a0supporting tech to solve problems that plague\u00a0humanity. The foundation\u2019s\u00a0Water Sanitation Hygiene Challenge<\/a>, and Reinvent the Toilet fair<\/a>\u00a0award\u00a0grants to\u00a0organizations that improve\u00a0sanitation in the developing world.\u00a0According to the foundation\u2019s own research, \u201cBetter sanitation contributes to economic development, delivering up to $5 in social and economic benefits for every $1 invested through increased productivity, reduced healthcare costs, and prevention of illness, disability, and early death.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Article source: https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2017\/03\/22\/causes-of-the-global-water-crisis-and-12-companies-trying-to-solve-it\/?ncid=rss<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s\u00a0World Water Day. Time to wake up and take shorter showers. That is, if we\u2019re fortunate enough to have them. Water scarcity and pollution are persistent global problems. According to\u00a0End <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[17],"tags":[23],"class_list":["post-4290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-networking-and-communication","tag-network-and-communication"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t