A water pilot project capable of regenerating 95% grey water has shown technical feasibility for implementation in Antigua and Barbuda.
Christa-Joy Burton, the Deputy Head of Business Development, Caribbean for WOTA CORP, said the company’s recent research was encouraging, showing real community interest and willingness to adopt the solution.
In March 2024, WOTA’s Caribbean team conducted one-on-one interviews with 35 current and prospective homeowners, primarily those from public housing developments.
“We were able to see that in general persons use a lot of different ways to collect water, not just from the water authorities,” Burton said. “We definitely see an avenue for us to help persons to conserve that water because the water demand continues to increase.”
“We also saw that especially because some persons would mention that even just seeing the areas near them where there should be water attachments, we can see that they’re really dry areas, such as places like Potworks Dam,” she added.
According to Burton, 80 percent of participants in the interview expressed strong interest in installing the water regeneration system in their homes based on their current water access issues.
“Having reliable water supplies is super important. With this system, a lot of persons might have fewer daily worries about water shortages, especially in more remote areas,” Burton explained.
She also noted that “whether they’ve been impacted because of droughts in the area or they’re not close to a water line, or they don’t get a lot of rainfall in their area, this system essentially ensures they’ll have consistent water.”
Beyond providing water security, Burton highlighted additional benefits of the technology, including reducing the size of the water storage in homes.
The project began following WOTA Corp’s participation at the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, where the team connected with Minister of Environment Sir Molwyn Joseph.
Since then, the company has signed two Memoranda of Understanding with the government, the latest in March 2024, to advance pilot testing.
Early adopters and developers have already expressed interest in incorporating the units into new housing designs, according to Burton, as WOTA is also encouraging collaboration with local contractors and architects to facilitate implementation.
“The WOTA units, we’re first going to make them available for new homeowners as well as existing applicants of public housing developments. That includes developments such as CHAPA, and other housing developments in Barbuda,” Burton said.
She emphasized that the current design phase presents an ideal opportunity for incorporation of the technology. “Persons who are interested in building right now, they’re thinking about what their designs of their homes are going to be like. It’s a great opportunity for them as well to see how they can incorporate the WOTA system from that first aspect.”
