GE Mobile Water Units Expected to Help More Than 220,000 Tsunami victims
Trevose, PA ---January 12, 2005--- GE Infrastructure, Water & Process Technologies has donated two, 52foot mobile water treatment units and the resources of more than 50 GE engineers, scientists and projectmanagers to provide safe drinking water to Indonesian families affected by therecent tsunami. GE is working with the Indonesian government and relief agencies to coordinate the water distribution.
"A key ingredient for recovery by the regions impacted by the tsunami is access to clean, safe water. At GE,we are in a position where our technology can help start the recovery process, and we're extremely willing to help," said Bryan Rishforth, General Manager of GE's Water & Process Technologies. "The mobile natureof GE's water technology and filtration equipment together with the intellectual and logistical resources unique to GE, gives the Indonesian government the flexibility to provide purified water where it is needed most."
Two of the mobile water units, each which include a filtration system and reverse osmosis unit, are being expedited from GE's Mobile Water facility in Dubai, United Arab Emirates to Indonesia. "GE is doing what we can to minimize the physical and emotional toll caused by unsanitary water. The logistics of sitting the filtration units in the devastated region is a very complex x process so our priority is getting one unit operating first. Then, we can immediately deploy the second unit to double capacity," Rishforth explains. The exact date for producing water is undetermined but GE has committed all available resources to enable fresh water production as soon as possible in the weeks ahead.
The mobile trailers are designed to purify water at a rate of up to 600 gallons per minute. Total units on reserve for the relief effort will produce a combined capacity of nearly 864,000 gallons of purified water per day. This will help approximately 220,000 people per day. GE Energy has donated a mobile fleet of generators and engineers to power the mobile units.
"Right now, GE's project engineers are on the ground in South Asia preparing for the arrival of the units. They will help support and oversee that the victims have access to fresh water from now until the government and its resources can sustain operations independently," said Rishforth. Beyond the emergency relief efforts, the mobile water technology will be used at the government's discretion to provide clean water for drinking, sanitation and other uses. GE Infrastructure's offices in the United States, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Thailand and India are coordinating GE's fresh water relief efforts.
GE is also donating three water purification systems to the Thai Red Cross. Together the two are working to deliver 66,000 gallons of potable water per day that will aid an estimated 5,000 people in the three largest Thai Red Cross shelter centres located in the Pang Nga, Phuket and Kao Lak regions.
Led by Water & Process Technologies, GE Energy, GE Healthcare and GE Corporate collaborated within 48hours of the tsunami to initiate a company-wide relief effort and continue to work across 16 time zones and four continents. Additionally, GE employees from around the world are involved inthe relief effort following the tsunami in South Asia. GE's response can be organized into a number of key areas: employee giving, equipment donations, local volunteering and contributions.
For more information, visit ge.com
About GE Infrastructure, Water & Process Technologies
Water & Process Technologies, the integration of GE Betz and GE Osmonics, is a leading global supplier of water, wastewater and process systems solutions. Water & Process Technologies delivers customer value by
improving performance and product quality and by reducing operating costs and extending equipment life in a broad range of products and services. These products and services are used to optimize total water/process system performance, safeguard customer assets from corrosion, fouling and scaling, and protect the environment through water and energy conservation. For more information on Water & Process Technologies, visit gewater.com.
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