“I vividly remember witnessing a mother in the Gua Musang region who found herself having to feed her child contaminated water from the river. She resorted to mixing in tea leaves and coffee powder just to mask the unpleasant taste,” shared Chong Tee Lim, the co-founder, and chief marketing officer at Wateroam. In an exclusive interview with The Petri Dish, he recounted these impactful experiences that served as inspiration for the creation of the social enterprise.
Founded in 2014, Wateroam is committed to combating water poverty around the globe with a particular focus in South-East Asia. The organisation, born from the collaboration of co-founders from the Business School and Engineering School at the National University of Singapore, strives to address the challenges associated with clean water access. Inspired by their field experiences working with different NGOs, the team dedicates itself to providing clean water access through portable filtration systems catered specifically for disaster relief and rural development.[ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type=”block” ihc_mb_who=”unreg” ihc_mb_template=”3″ ]
Being awarded with the 2022 Zayed Sustainability Prize in the Water category, Wateroam, backed by the UAE’s Beyond2020 initiative has deployed safe drinking water to about 10,000 Malaysians in regions along the Rajang River in Sabah and Sarawak. This directly supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 (UN SDG 6), which aims to ensure universal access to safe drinking water. UN SDG 6 is interconnected with other Sustainable Development Goals, recognizing the role of water and sanitation in poverty alleviation, health, education, gender equality, and environmental sustainability.
The inhabitants of the longhouses in this region rely on water from the river for their consumption and daily sustenance. However, when this vital resource becomes contaminated, it becomes a considerable health threat and disrupts the overall well-being of the community. This disruption cascades into everyday life, impacting regular routines including the ability of children to attend school regularly.
Chong Tee explains that rural communities often encounter difficulties in having clean water access due to geographical remoteness which complicates logistics and the establishment of pipelines.
Hence, Wateroam has designed the ROAMfilter technology which achieves 3 key features: safe, simple, and swift. Its ultrafiltration membrane technology ensures safety by removing bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and parasites highly effectively. Setting it up is easy, taking less than a minute with no need for electricity, thanks to an intuitive bicycle pump design. The filter is also lightweight (2.5kg) and has a fast manual flow rate of over 200 L/hr, providing reliable access to clean water.
Chong Tee highlights the vital role of first-hand field experience, building trust within communities, and collaboration with diverse stakeholders in ensuring effective solutions. He advocates for increased focus on the sustainability space and the adoption of the right approach towards natural resources. Wateroam’s story is a testament to the profound impact that purpose-driven innovation can have on communities.
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