Water shortage boosts need for Aqua ServicesTreatment of wastewater and effluent is proving an important business consideration for municipalities, mining companies and other large users of the scarce resource. French-backed ASE spends N$6m on fleet upgrade 0 Local water treatment company Aqua Services and Engineering (ASE) has invested N$6 million in a new fleet to help it improve its services.The local subsidiary of French Veolia Water Solutions and Technologies acquired 11 new bakkies and a 12-ton truck, which it said would ensure its speedy delivery of chemicals, equipment and maintenance crews to its customers across the country.
“This investment of N$6 million shows commitment to the Namibian water sector,” ASE MD Luther Rukira said in announcing the development yesterday.
“With water shortages threatening large parts of Namibia it is essential that we are available to assist where needed to save water and offer a reliable and fast service to our customers,” Rukira said.
The local company was established in 1993, supplying mainly turnkey water and wastewater treatment installations, water treatment equipment and components for equipment, and chemicals.
In 2008, it became a part of the Veolia Group following the merger of ASE and Veolia Water Technologies South Africa.
“We work with a large number of municipalities, manufacturers, mining companies, NamWater and other large water uses,” Rukira said, stressing the increasing need for smart water solutions.
“Companies and municipalities simply cannot afford any longer to waste water and we assist them to optimise water use. Treatment of wastewater and effluent also becomes key in preventing pollution of surface and groundwater resources and build a sustainable water supply for the future,” he said.
He noted that the company has been responsible, since its inception, for construction of more than 150 water and wastewater treatment facilities in Namibia.
Locally, the company’s innovations include a trickling filter technology for domestic wastewater treatment, which the company boasted has received substantial foreign interest with plants so far supplied to countries like Tanzania, Angola, Congo and South Africa.
DENVER ISAACS