Sustainability think tank Sustainia today presented TaKaDu, an Israeli company that produces technology that reduces water distribution losses, with an award honoring the world’s best sustainability innovation.
In front of an audience of over 1,000 guests gathered in Copenhagen, TaKaDu was announced winner of the Sustainia Award 2013. TaKaDu was first chosen as the best solution for IT when Sustainia announced its top 10 innovations, out of more than 500 projects and technologies from 79 countries, in September.
“The Sustainia Award winner is a great example of the solutions we need. With an advanced technology, they help address a serious issue facing many communities, scarcity of water. They are true green action heroes,” says Arnold Schwarzenegger, chair of the Sustainia Award Committee.
“Tonight’s award winner is an excellent solution to how we can optimize our most valuable resource: Water. Their state-of-the-art technology helps to reduce water loss and ensure supplies to a growing population,” says Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri, Chair of the IPCC, who presented the winner in Copenhagen.
Currently 25 to 30 percent of the world’s water production is wasted due to faults in distribution. TaKaDu’s winning innovation, which monitors water grids and warns suppliers of leakages, pipe bursts or other irregularities, brought the company to the attention of the award committee, made up of Schwarzenegger and Pachauri, as well as former prime minister of Norway, Gro Harlem Brundtland; and EU Commissioner for Climate Action, Connie Hedegaard.
The award is initiated by Copenhagen-based Sustainia, in collaboration with Schwarzenegger’s initiative Regions20, the UN Global Compact and the EU Commission. Behind Sustainia is also a wide range of companies including Novo Nordisk, Philips Lighting, Cisco, DNV, Realdania and Microsoft.
Water losses during distribution are a key challenge for the world’s water supplies. Older networks typically suffer from higher inefficiencies, but water loss is a symptom of much broader challenges: Utilities worldwide find it harder to maintain networks in the face of aging pipes, increased demand from growing populations, stretched resources and the effects of climate change including extreme weather.
The TaKaDu technology retrieves and monitors large sets of data from sensors in the water networks and analyzes them in real-time. The software-based service automatically locates and classifies irregularities, such as leaks and pipe bursts, and alerts utilities immediately. The technology is currently deployed in Australia, Chile, Israel, the UK, Spain and Portugal.
“We are truly honored to win Sustainia Award 2013 among the many pioneer solutions and strong innovations nominated,” said Amir Peleg, CEO and founder of TaKaDu. “This award, and the remarkable mission behind it, will raise awareness of our technology, its unique analytical approach and the great impact our solution has to secure the planet’s most valuable resource, water, in a time where climate change and a growing population gravely challenge our water supplies.”
With rising challenges due to global population growth and the effects of climate change, demand for water will increase significantly over the next century. Sustainia says it feels TaKaDu has created a solution that, if scaled, will increase quality of life for millions of people around the world.
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Published Nov 7, 2013 3pm EST / 12pm PST / 8pm GMT / 9pm CET