Norwegians rarely lack clean water; however they do have the technical expertise to preserve the vital resource. Two Norwegian companies are contributing equipment that can secure scarce water supplies in areas of conflict and in countries suffering from severe drought.
30/03/2006 :: There are many areas in the world where water is an extremely limited resource. When there are small supplies of the vital liquid available, it is even more important to secure what is there.
This is something the Norwegian companies Protan and Plastec have done. They have developed flexible containers or reservoirs, made of very thin, specially designed membrane that can hold large amounts of water. They recently developed a version that is also approved for drinking water.
In this manner, the companies can contribute to the UN's Millennium Development Goals of reducing by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water by 2015.
"The advantage with these reservoirs being made of flexible membrane, is that is makes them lighter, durable and easy to transport," said Knut Gjefle, president of Plastec.
Plastec and Protan are both experienced in the field of water reservoirs. The companies recently installed a 15 000 cubic meter container in Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates, and during 2006 they will also install several 50 000 cubic meter reservoirs.
The bottom and the walls of these reservoirs are covered by the membrane, and lastly the surface is covered to prevent water evaporation. The companies' most recent membrane product, which is also approved for preserving drinking water, can be used in both temporary and permanent reservoirs.
Ingrid Spilde, Forskning.no/ The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs