Ronda, in central Cebu, Philippines, will be the first community to use "AquaCard" and "AquaMeter" systems. Developed by WorldWater Corp. (USA), the new debit card systems will operate directly with the company's solar water-pumping stations in the community. Residents insert the pre-payment cards into the AquaMeters, which then deliver the requested amount of drinking water from the solar pump nearby. The microchip on the card reads when the card needs to be recharged by the customer at the community bank. The bank then turns over the money to the community government, which uses the funds to pay back the loan used to purchase the equipment and installation from WorldWater. The Company maintains a carrying charge of some 10% net of the card gross for service charges during the life of the contract (currently 10 years). Worldwater believes this is the first time that the community bank is willing to lend rural communities the money to fund water contracts. It intends to implement the "AquaCard" cost-recovery programme in more communities both in the Philippines and abroad.

Contact: WorldWater Corp., pump@worldwater.com, http://www.worldwater.com

Source: WaterTech Online, 10 Jun 2002
Worldwater Corp., Feb 2002