It's the water, stupid
The attention to water production and water quality has been growing among politicians and investors — and for good reason: The world’s growing population needs more water, and the reality of industrial pollution and risk of terrorism make keeping an eye on water purity and quality a must
A World Bank official said that if wars of the last century were fought over oil, wars of this century will be fought over water. Perhaps. There is no denial, though, the production of water and the maintenance of purity and quality of water are catching the attention of more and more politicians - and investors. One reason is fear of bioterror attacks on water supplies. We have reported, for example, on the demand for San Diego, California-based JMAR’s BioSentry water quality monitoring device, and on the technology of other water quality companies. The growing attention to water supplies and water quality goes beyond specific fears of terror attacks. Here are quotes from three water mavens:
Neil Berlant, Water Group managing director and first vice president at the Los Angeles-based Seidler Companies, one of California’s leading independent investment banking and financial services firms, says: “The first sector for growth is the infrastructure area, specifically repair and replacement. The second part is the area of purification, disinfection and the general improvement of the quality of water to accommodate the varied demands that we place on water for manufacturing, processing, and drinking water purposes.”
Robert DeCosta, CEO of Hendrx (OTC BB: HDRX), says: “The demand for pure drinking water is going to increase drastically especially as the population increases. The natural filtration systems that water used to go through in the past are now becoming polluted and water is going to become a much larger issue moving forward. We are also convinced that the demand for higher quality water is going to continue to grow. We are very optimistic about the future and feel that unique solutions like atmospheric water are going to play an ever increasing role in supplying drinking water globally.”
Steven Maxwell, managing director of Colorado-based TechKNOWLEDGEy Strategic Group, says that a key driving factor for the growth of the water industry has been China’s and India’s rapid economic development, which has placed considerable demands on several critical resources such as energy and water. He explains: “You hardly hear any discussion about the water industry today without some mention of the growing influence of particularly China. On the demand side, work is going on by companies to position services for what seems likely to be a huge and certain marketplace in this part of the world.” Maxwell notes that the region’s pollution problems are occurring on a regular basis contributing to the escalation of their water quality issues.
