A Pilot Funding & Innovation Learning Platform

In collaboration with the World Bank Water Global Practice, WTAP aims to make innovation more accessible by providing the resources to jumpstart pilot projects. 

The program provides support to identify and localize relevant solutions as well as co-fund demonstration projects. From reducing utility losses in small urban systems in Cambodia to mapping arsenic-contaminated groundwater in South Asia, WTAP sources technologies across a range of challenges affecting the region. 

We invite new partners to join as we deepen our engagement in Asia and expand our reach to new geographies.

Environsens and SpaceAge Labs found each other through Imagine H2O Asia’s inaugural cohort, during the program’s startup bootcamp. As fellow Singaporean companies, they saw a potential collaboration: a combined solution to tackle the industrial discharge of heavy metals in Singapore’s sewage systems.

While Environsens’ biosensor could effectively monitor toxicity levels, it was unable to aggregate and transmit that data across multiple assets. SpaceAge Labs offered a low-power, wireless communications and analytics platform that could enable Environsens and PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency, to view data in real-time. By improving the efficiency of wastewater monitoring and surveillance, Environsens and SpaceAge Labs were able to save the utility both time and money. At the same time, they protected Singapore’s waterways from toxic industrial discharge. The companies have installed 175 joint systems across Singapore to date.

South and Southeast Asian utilities are struggling to tackle water leaks, under-registering meters, unauthorized consumption, and other drivers of non-revenue water—all of which contribute to losses as high as 50% in some cities in the region. With climate change and growing population demands further threatening water supply, utilities are faced with increased pressures to improve water coverage while operating under tighter budgets and financial constraints. SmartTerra’s AI-powered analytics platform helps reduce utility losses and increase revenue with no additional capital investment required. Within the first three months, Imagine H2O Asia’s team helped SmartTerra secure its first project outside of India with a Philippines utility. The project’s first phase analyzed the operator’s 15,000 connections.