The Weekly Dive #5
The World Cup is here, but at what cost? About 13,000 gallons of desalinated water a day per pitch. Watch the recording of our Oceanside Chat with Seth Siegel. The UN just made a historic climate deal. A wastewater plant in France will now generate twice as much energy as it consumes. PFAS has now been found in students' school uniforms. Researchers engineer a river that can be turned on and off. This week, we are highlighting HydroDAO's team member Manoj Panjwani. Learn about his background and why he has decided to devote his life work to water.
Your weekly Bonus - Is high-tech farming the solution to slashing water consumption?
This week's quote:
For life and death are one,
even as the river and the sea are one.
From mountaintop rains
From mists on the shore,
From tears that we shed
A river does pour
It’s flowing downstream
It’s moving ’round rocks,
It’s flowing and growing
There’s nothing that blocks
Now gathered and mighty
It’s cut its own way,
Still aimed for the ocean
Where all rivers play
It does move
And arrive at the Source,
It’s splashing and crashing
It’s Joyous, of course
For Life, like the river
Moves through many forms,
Like droplets of water
It ever transforms
And death is a story
Of joining the flow,
Of bubbles becoming
One ocean, the ultimate
Letting go.
Oceanside Chat with Seth Siegel!
Watch the Recording of our Latest Oceanside Chat with Seth Siegel Now!
Seth Siegel, writer, lawyer, activist, and serial entrepreneur, was our special guest last month.
What's New with Water?
Qatar: the land where one sports pitch needs 50,000 litres of desalinated water a day
Stadium 947 is fully demountable but the tournament’s overall environmental impact is raising concerns.
Water start-ups feature strongly in 100+ Accelerator's new cohort
Find out which water companies have made the cut.
The UN Just Made a Historic Climate Deal. Here's What You Need to Know
A fraught United Nations (UN) summit wrapped up Sunday with a landmark deal on funding to help vulnerable countries.
Vertical farming company Kalera using KETOS to monitor water quality
KETOS SHIELD will be used across Kalera’s vertical farming operations to help ensure the health of crops.
What's New in the Industry?
ENERGY POSITIVE WASTEWATER TREATMENT: MONTPELLIER’S MAERA €165M UPGRADE
A €165 million upgrade will enable a wastewater treatment plant in southern France to generate twice as much energy as it consumes.
Saudi Arabia Is Localizing The Water Desalination Industry
"Desalination" signs an agreement to mine brine water with investments from the private sector, to contribute to the GDP by 1.5 billion riyals annually in 2030.
Investments In Africa's Water Sector Picks Up Momentum As Panel On Water Investments Begins
Heads of State and global leaders from Africa have united to call for urgent investment into Africa’s water and sanitation sector.
Ecolab announces Ecolab Water for Climate Program to help companies deliver on water goals
Research from the company finds 45% of global consumers think companies aren’t doing enough to address climate change.
What's New in the Science?
‘Forever’ chemicals show up in students’ school uniforms
Research has linked such chemicals, known as PFAS, to possibly harmful health effects.
Robots able to create a vortex for transportation of microplastics
Researchers from Hanyang University and Inha University have introduced collective behavior of multiple swimming robots for delivery of thousands of cargos.
'Butterfly bot' is fastest swimming soft robot yet
Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed an energy-efficient soft robot that can swim more than four times faster than previous robots.
Researchers engineer a river that can be turned on and off
Researchers at the University of Sherbrooke, in Quebec, Canada, built an artificial river that can be turned off and on and whose elements can be completely controlled.
Manoj has over 25 years of international banking experience in developed and emerging markets across Asia, Europe and North America. As a member of HSBC’s International Management cadre, Manoj has held several senior leadership positions in wholesale and retail banking, strategy, and risk management.
Manoj is particularly adept at strategy development and implementation, and complements this with deep experience in front-line business. In addition, he has spent over a decade in Risk & Compliance where his expertise includes driving change and transformation, setting and leading the Risk agenda, and establishing a robust Risk Appetite and Governance framework.
Manoj is now engaged in the social enterprise sector and highly motivated to apply his experience and skills to support initiatives at the intersection of his interests in finance and social impact. He is particularly passionate about impact investing and other financing models, education, sustainability, and youth development. He also advises in the areas of strategy, risk management, and governance.
Manoj is part of the senior leadership team at OneShared.World, a dynamic global movement of stakeholders working across diverse cultures, communities, and generations to ensure a better future for humankind. He plays a key role in strategy formulation, building networks, and initiatives that address existential global challenges (WASH and Climate Change).
Manoj is also a member of Catalyst 2030, a global movement of social entrepreneurs and social innovators who share the common goal of creating innovative approaches to attain the UN SDGs by 2030. As a core member of the “Engaging the Private Sector” Working Group, he engages in initiatives that aim to create a mutually beneficial collaboration between the private sector and social enterprises. Sourcing capital flows and financing is a key pillar of this working group and Manoj is leading an initiative that seeks to create a ‘community of practice’ that will address obstacles to funding for social enterprises and provide access to diverse capital and finance solutions.
Manoj serves on the Board of Trustees at Knology, a research-driven think tank dedicated to studying and untangling complex social issues, and on the Alumni Advisory Council at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies. In addition, he is a member of Impact Capital Forum in NYC, and Columbia Sustainable Finance Professionals Network.
What's in the Future?
HIGH-TECH FARMING COULD SLASH WATER USE UP TO 70 PERCENT AMID HISTORIC DROUGHTS
These systems help farmers track conditions on their land in real-time, and apply water and other inputs such as fertilizer exactly when and where they are needed.
