Having met years ago by coincidence in Johannesburg, the innovators conceptualized what is called Waterpod, the water purification solution designed to offer self-servicing drinking water-refill solution for everyone, thanks to I-Drop Water and Bluewater concept, whose mantra ‘Swedish ingenuity meets African innovation’ fits perfectly like water coming from the tap.
The refill machine can provide between 1 litre and 25 litres, depended on your needs. It can also handle heavily contaminated water.
How it works, I-Drop technology is made up of two key technologies: GSM remote monitoring and control, and nano-purification water filter technology.
According to James Steere, Co-founder I-Drop Water and Director at Bluewater’s African operations, cost savings are passed to the shopper through a lower price of up to 90% less than bottled water, and to the shop owner through a high gross profit on a per-litre sale.
All of this is monitored in a real time GSM “internet of things” platform that we’ve developed specifically for this application, he says.
The Waterpod is available countrywide at selected grocery stores and has large footprint on the African Continent.
Steere, an Oxford University graduate tells that the company was started after realizing the unwarranted stories that the country faced on water shortage, particularly in the Eastern Cape.
“Climate change impacts on water safety and unfortunately some parts of SA, are experiencing this phenomenon hence the initiative on how to preserve this precious asset by introducing the Waterpod brand.
In partnership with the Swedish company, we’re already seeing results although water scarcity and pollution do exist,” who also added that water is a R200bn dollar industry.
Asked if national Government was approached to be part of this experience, Steere said they will engage although nothing concrete has been confirmed.
“Ours is to remedy the situation although at a profitable fraction reasonable to every consumer throughout SA and the Continent.”
The partnership between Bluewater and I-Drop Water has also given rise to the development of the Bluewater Trailer, a mobile solution for pure drinking water on location and used by large-scale events and with applications in the film, mining and construction industries, where location-based water purification is required.
It is also designed for direct consumer application and is a powerhouse point-of-use water purifier that helps both professional environments and homes create their own supply of pure drinking water from municipal or borehole sources.
“This exciting new tech rollout is another step towards meeting the challenges of a water-stressed Southern African region and indeed the world,” said Anders Jacobson, President of Bluewater.
“This innovation embodies our partnership mantra of ‘Swedish ingenuity meets African innovation’ and is a unique offering aimed at reaching a market of over 2 billion people around the world who still risk their health every day by drinking unsafe water. We are excited to be on this journey with I-Drop Water and look forward to further sharing Bluewater’s unique technology and products throughout the African continent,” said Jacobson.
At the launch we experienced some purified, fresh water and all kinds of ‘forbidden waters’ on offer provided by hosts from the Bluewater-trailer.
Investment by the Swedish heeds the call by President Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa to unlock investment opportunities in the country.
(Pic: James Steere, Co-founder I-Drop Water and Director at Bluewater’s African, demonstrating to guests on how to use the Waterpod at the launch recently.
