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Read the early challenges taked up by Veolia Environnement all around the world.

 

Veolia Environnement is the world leader in environmental services

The environnemental needs and the urban growth at the heart of Veolia Environnement's strategy.

 

Veolia Observatory of Urban Lifestyles

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Veolia Environnement launched a wide-ranging global study of urban lifestyles. The findings are the cornerstone of the Veolia Observatory of Urban Lifestyles in 14 cities, five continents and more than 8,500 views of the city.

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Home / Citizenship / Water for everyone

Water for everyone, at a price everyone can afford

Veolia Water and Grameen Bank have created a joint venture based on the social business model invented by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus. The partners aim to provide drinking water to 100,000 Bangladeshis by end-2012.

 

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Partnership

The main goal of the joint venture is to benefit people, not generate a return on investment. The innovative idea in Grameen Bank’s “social business” is its focus on a “neither losses, nor dividends” model which ensures the long-term viability and independence of the initiative pursued.
By offering our expertise in water treatment, Veolia is making a clear statement about our desire to enhance the quality of urban life worldwide. For its part, “social business” sets up a governance model that makes sense for an impoverished community lacking public infrastructure.
Financed equally by Veolia Water AMI and Grameen Healthcare, the joint venture aims to operate several water production and treatment plants. People will be able to purchase water for a price based on their ability to pay. All profits will be reinvested to finance the project’s expansion.

Challenges met

Through this agreement, Veolia Water is helping to achieve the Millennium goals set by the United Nations. Indeed, though Bangladesh has many underground sources, the vast majority of its water tables have been found, for geological reasons, to contain levels of arsenic that are often hazardous to health.
The river bordering the village of Goalmari will supply the water. Using the combined skills of the Grameen-Veolia Water partnership, the water will be treated to make it drinkable and distributed via a specific network to standpipes; a distribution system that is tailored to the needs of the population. Water tariffs will also take account of local conditions.

Antoine Frérot Veolia Water CEO

“Veolia Water’s commitment to finding solutions for people without access to drinking water is a core focus of our company’s strategy.”

Long-term issues

This novel, exemplary partnership will help integrate populations into the local economy, by providing an immediately workable, efficient solution to meet a basic need.
By stimulating the region’s economy, the project creates a bridge between the partner companies and the disadvantaged population, benefiting both. Besides supplying drinking water, it will invest in programs to educate the community about sanitation standards. The project will be expanded to include neighboring regions, paving the way for the development of sustainable infrastructure.