LIONESS WEEKENDER COVER STORY

GREEN WATECH, a Morocco-based company with a low-tech solution for wastewater treatment and reuse for irrigating vegetables destined for human consumption

Salma Bougarrani is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of GREEN WATECH, a Social Enterprise founded in 2018, and specializing in decentralized sanitation. Salma holds a PhD in Advanced Water Treatment Process from Med V University (Morocco), and Leipzig University (Germany). She worked as a project manager for "Women in Water Field" at Peking International University. In 2015, Salma joined the Institute of Chemical Technology, Leipzig University in Germany, as a researcher. Salma has been involved in several international projects in collaboration with teams from Malatya University and NIBEC Institute. Salma is also a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry, and she works as an expert consultant at Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

As a CEO of GREEN WATECH, Salma works together with the commercial, partnerships, product management, engineering, and supply chain organizations to maximize growth and competitiveness through new product introductions and other initiatives. She is also responsible for the company’s industry standards engagements, university collaborations and technical community programs. The business has created 18 jobs for local people.

Salma has extensive academic and applied background in the water & sanitation field. She has professional experience internationally, including Africa, Asia, and Europe, and in various facets of the water industry, including decentralized wastewater treatment plant, and wastewater process engineering, hydraulics, water quality, and reuse. Salma has published extensively and notably in the field of environment, and she was involved in several international projects. Salma contributed to the organization of several international conferences and workshops in the field of water and environment. In reconnaissance of her excellent research and social entrepreneurship achievement, Salma received numerous awards and prestigious prizes around the world. In 2018, Dr. Salma received the United Nations Industrial Development Organization Grand Prize (UNIDO-CLEANTECH / category of Water).

Lioness Weekender spoke to the inspirational Salma Bougarrani about her passion for creating access to clean water, and her mission to democratize the right of access to water and sanitation for all.

What does your company do?

Green Watech is a Morocco-based company that offers a low-tech solution for wastewater treatment and reuse for irrigating vegetables destined for human consumption called SoilBased Filter (SBF). The solution does not require any energy to operate, works only with gravity and adapted to rural and decentralized areas. Our vision is to become the leading organization in Morocco in decentralized sanitation services with a special focus on the African market and to democratize the right of access to water and sanitation for all.

What inspired you to start your company?

For me, the issue of clean water is personal. I grew up spending holidays in the Moroccan village where my father was born and saw firsthand the harmful effects of wastewater discharged into local rivers. Inspired to solve the problem, I pursued a Ph.D. and worked extensively in the water treatment industry. After visiting a Japanese passive treatment plant that used natural processes to break down pollutants, I set out to adapt the technology for Morocco.

Launched in 2018, my company GREEN WATECH (short for “Green Water Technology”) provides a soil-based filter system that treats domestic wastewater in rural communities. The water then becomes an irrigation source for agricultural production destined for human consumption—the highest quality level for treated water—thus reducing the amount of fresh water needed by up to 70 percent. GREEN WATECH’S system requires two times less surface area than similar technologies, does not produce odour or noise, and doesn't rely on electricity. It’s a low-tech, passive solution. This is key, because these rural populations can’t afford high energy bills.

The company’s system is also designed to be simple to operate and maintain, extending its useful life for up to twenty years. To increase buy-in from local communities, GREEN WATECH holds pre-installation informational and training sessions open to all residents. We work through a participatory approach. That's why our system works for so many years after implementation. The rural population is really involved in the technology, and they know how to maintain it. Villages have treated millions of litres of water

Since 2018, GREEN WATECH has brought safe sanitation services to more than 15,000 people in 17 villages and farms across Morocco. Rural communities have used the company’s technology to treat more than 200 million litres of water and reuse it in agricultural irrigation to produce more than 11,000 tons of food. GREEN WATECH hopes to double the number of rural communities receiving safe sanitation services by 2025 and expand the use of its treatment systems to farms, resorts, campsites, educational facilities, and other locations throughout North Africa.

Why should anyone use your service or product?

GREEN WATECH provides a soil-based filter system that treats domestic wastewater in rural communities. The water then becomes an irrigation source for agricultural production destined for human consumption—the highest quality level for treated water—thus reducing the amount of fresh water needed by up to 70 percent. GREEN WATECH’S system requires two times less surface area than similar technologies, does not produce odor or noise, and doesn't rely on electricity. It’s a low-tech, and passive solution; This is key, because these rural populations can’ t afford high energy bills. The company’s system is also designed to be simple to operate and maintain, extending its useful life for up to twenty years. To increase buy-in from local communities, GREEN WATECH holds pre-installation informational and training sessions open to all residents. We work through a participatory approach. That's why our system works for so many years after implementation. The rural population is really involved in technology, and they know how to maintain it.

Tell us a little about your team:

The members of the founding team of the company GREEN WATECH have expertise of 6 to 10 years, with international recognition, in the field of rural sanitation, water, environment, and project management.

Salma BOUGARRANI, GREEN WATECH CEO, holds a PhD in Water management from Med V University, and Leipzig University in Germany. Salma manages business development and all partnerships.

Lahbib LATRACH, GREEN WATECH CTO, holds PhD in Water Treatment and Environment from Cadi Ayyad University, and Shimane University in Japan. Lahbib represents the technical know-how of the company and leads the design and implementation.

GREEN WATECH board members met 7 years ago in Japan, both of them committed to sustainable water and sanitation solutions and decided to create GREEN WATECH once in Morocco.

Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?

It wasn’t enough for me to have patents and published scientific articles. The real impact happens when the solution is implemented and serving this rural population.
It’s not also easy to start from zero and work in rural areas as a woman in a civil engineering field that’s dominated by men. It was really challenging.

What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?

Since 2018, GREEN WATECH has brought safe sanitation services to more than 30,000 people across Morocco. Rural communities have used the company’s technology to treat more than 200 million litres of water and reuse it in agricultural irrigation to produce more than 11,000 tons of food. It's hugely gratifying when people tell us this technology has changed their lives.

What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?

To never give up and to believe in female leadership, it works!!!!

Find out more:

Email: s.bougarrani@greenwatech.com

Website: http://www.greenwatech.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreenWaTech

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=salma+bougarrani