Federal Member for Gilmore Fiona Phillips has congratulated Shoalhaven-based employer Global Defence Solutions, part of the Akath Group, on its partnership with Estonian water reuse technology company Spacedrip to combat the growing global water scarcity problem.

Mrs Philips got a first-hand look at the innovative technology when Spacedrip’s Rapid water reuse system was launched at the Estonian Embassy in Canberra recently.

The Rapid system reuses water from showers, laundry and sinks and is treated back to potable water and continuously reused for the same purpose.

The technology is already being used by the United States Army, the Estonian Defence Force as well as NATO emergency contractors in Europe.

Mrs Phillips said Spacedrip’s system had enormous potential to support situations where water was scarce, such as military deployments, humanitarian and disaster support as well as in remote communities across Australia and overseas.

“The technology can provide an essential water reuse system for hard-to-reach and more remote areas, with different sizes available,” she said.

Mrs Phillips said to have a local organisation involved in such innovative technology was “very exciting indeed”.

“The ultimate aim for Global Defence Solutions at South Nowra is to not only supply solutions that assist with worsening Australian water shortages, but to manufacture and maintain the systems from the Nowra-based facility, creating more jobs and opportunities for our local community,” she said.

“It was fantastic to attend the launch in Canberra and to watch a demonstration of the 30-minute Rapid shower, which just keeps recycling the water around and around. The loop system has to be seen to be believed.”

“I congratulate our great local employers Alkath Group and Global Defence Solutions.”

By joining forces with Spacedrip, Alkath Group Managing Director Phil Guy said his team could leverage world-leading Estonian technology as a springboard to address water scarcity issues.

“Only half a per cent of the Earth’s water is useable freshwater, which means water scarcity is one of the biggest challenges facing the global population, and we are genuinely tackling it head-on,” he said.

“Through our partnership with Spacedrip, we’re focused on offering Australians an affordable and sustainable solution that secures water resources for the future.”

The system is housed in a 10-foot shipping container with advanced water treatment technologies, tanks and a bathroom. It can reuse up to 2,500 litres of greywater daily, providing enough potable water for up to 60 people.

The technology is scalable and can be integrated into containers of various sizes, allowing for water reuse for larger communities of up to 600 people.

Global Defence Solutions general manager Jeromy Bendall said Rapid was “a real game-changer”.

“With its fast deployability and quick two-hour set-up time, Rapid is well-suited for use in communities affected by natural disasters such as fire, flood and storms,” he explained.

“This system offers a solution for providing water access in remote areas where accessing daily personal water is a challenge.”

Photo 1: Federal Member for Gilmore Fiona Phillips with Alkath Group chairman Laurie Koster, Estonian Ambassador HE Kersti Eesmaa, Spacedrip CEO and founder Joonatan Oras and Global Defence Solutions managing director Phil Guy at the Spacedrip launch.

Photo 2: Federal Member for Gilmore Fiona Phillips and Estonian Ambassador HE Kersti Eesmaa had a chance to see the Spacedrip system in action.

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