On 5 July, Waterschapsbedrijf Limburg (Limburg Water Authority) received a delegation of Iranian members of parliament and representatives from regional water and wastewater treatment companies including

Hassan Bahramnia, Iran’s parliament member of Nahavand
Ali Golmoradi, Iran’s parliament member of Mahshahr
Gholamreza Sharafi, Iran’s parliament member of Abadan
Gholamreza Reshadi, parliament energy commission member
Mansour Shavandi, parliament relationship manager of NWWE Co.
Sadegh Haghighipour, Managing director of Khouzestan province WW Co.
Seyed Hadi Hossieni Bidar, Managing director of Hamedan province WW Co.

visiting the Netherlands with a view to involving Dutch companies in water and wastewater treatment projects in Iran. And with the Verdygo design and construction technique for wastewater treatment plants, Waterschapsbedrijf Limburg has exactly the sort of ground-breaking product they have come to see.

in Iran. And with the Verdygo design and construction technique for wastewater treatment plants, Waterschapsbedrijf Limburg has exactly the sort of ground-breaking product they have come to see.

Water challenges
Mr. Sahvandi, parliament relationship manager of National water and wastewater engineering company:
“Iran is having a great potential in water and wastewater treatment investments. There is a huge demand within the country. And its not limited to Iran’s borders whilst the country with its high educated and young population is the gate to enter to Caucasian region as well as neighbor countries. Central bank of Iran and the ministry of Energy with cooperation of the parliament, they have designed new and attractive contracts to stimulate the interest of innovative companies from the Netherlands to enter to Iran’s water industry market. Opportunities are endless to be discussed and aligned.” Mr. Haghighipour, Managing director of Khoozestan province water and wastewater company:
“Iran suffers from an extreme water shortage due to a combination of elements and reasons. Limited rain and water sources, an underground-water over extraction, long drought and a rapid population growth.
As a result, Iran is facing with challenges such as fast desertification progress, sand and dust storms and high level of evaporation on the ground level.
Water extraction from seawater creates increased seawater salinization as a result of the discharge of residuals, leading to local extinction of sea flora and fauna. Therefore, managing and organizing in reusing treated water within industrial, urban and farming sections has a crucial and extremely important role in immediate and long term scope.”

Mr. Hosseinbidari, Managing director of Hamedan province water and wastewater company:
“In addition, there is a growing demand for drinking water due to the expansion and new construction of urban sites which results the shortage of resources.
As a result, the country has a pressing need for water purification know-how, reforming and maintaining water supply and wastewater systems -for urban, farming and industrial use- and decreasing the loss of water. The increased water demand also comes with a growing focus on sustainability, cheaper technologies and flexible construction techniques. Therefore, in Iran we are  concrete looking for innovative, biologic and reliable solutions for waste water treatment. We visited out Verdygo plant so see if this new standard in waste water treatment could be a solution for diverse and straggly rural and urban areas.”

Flexible solution
Michel Bouts, Waterschapsbedrijf Limburg management board member: “We believe Verdygo can deliver a real breakthrough in flexible, sustainable, cheaper water purification in the Middle East. Being modular and built entirely above ground means you can design your treatment plant to meet your specific needs, and adapt that design as those needs change. In a world where community demand and technological developments are evolving faster than ever, such flexibility is vital. All Verdygo equipment can be serially-produced and is container-format for easy transportation. As plug & play modules, everything can be replaced, extended or removed as needed. You can quickly apply and switch between technologies. Even maintenance can be done in a conditioned environment instead of on site. In short, Verdygo is the sustainable, future-proof water treatment solution countries like Iran have been waiting for.”

The visit was initiated by IAWWE (Iranian Association of Water and Wastewater Experts) in Europe, whom are responsible for bringing together Iranian national authorities in the field of water and wastewater with Dutch businesses with relevant know-how in the area of water management and treatment.