VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 29, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Quest Water Global, Inc. (OTCBB:QWTR) ("Quest" and or "Quest Water" and or "Company"), an innovative water technology company and developer of the AQUAtap™ Community Drinking Water Station and WEPS™ Water Extraction and Purification System, provides to its shareholders the following corporate update.
Management has worked diligently over the past few years establishing business relationships with key government officials and ministries in Angola. In discussions with the Ministry of Industry in late 2009, the Secretary of State for Industry requested that Quest design and construct an autonomous water purification and distribution system for use under the country's "Water for All" program. The system had to be appropriate for use in rural communities throughout Angola. On completion of design, Quest launched the current AQUAtap™ Community Drinking Water Station. Each solar-powered AQUAtap™ produces 20,000 liters of water per day, suitable for 1,000 people, utilizing an array of photovoltaic solar panels and 'best of breed' purification and disinfection technologies. With engineering, technical, and manufacturing assistance from our Swiss technology partner, the first two units were fabricated and assembled in the second quarter of 2011.
The aim was to install and demonstrate the first two AQUAtap™ units in Angola upon invitation by, and on behalf of, the Angolan Ministry of Industry under the country's "Water for All" program. The Angolan Ministry of Industry is responsible for the technical assessment and evaluation of all new water technologies intended for use under the "Water for All" program. The Secretary of State for Industry had invited Quest to demonstrate the AQUAtap™ in the rural community of Bom Jesus, with a population of 500, approximately 50 kilometres east of the capital city of Luanda. The first two units were shipped to Angola in mid December 2011 and arrived on January 13, 2012.
Quest Water management arrived in Luanda on January 16, 2012 to prepare the Bom Jesus site location. This was Quest's fourth trip to Angola. The first AQUAtap™ installation in Bom Jesus became operational on March 1, 2012 with the 500 residents of the village drawing approximately 10,000 litres of pure water a day. The Secretary of State for Industry officially inaugurated the AQUAtap™ on March 16, 2012. Included in the opening were numerous Ministry of Industry Directors, technical advisors, and engineers. Analysis of the product water from the AQUAtap™ and a comparative analysis of the product water and source water from the Kwanza River were performed by EPAL, a government agency and laboratory, and AngoLab, Quest Water's private water analysis laboratory in Angola. The results of the product water analysis exceeded World Health Organization (WHO) standards for drinking water, while the results of the analysis of the source water proved it was not fit for human consumption.
The Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Energy & Water have been extremely supportive throughout the entire process and of what Quest is attempting to achieve under their national "Water for All" initiative. Management returned from this trip on March 20, 2012. Company management and the Secretary of State for Industry are currently in discussions regarding Quest Water becoming an official registered supplier to the "Water for All" program and for the construction of a facility to assemble the AQUAtap™ systems in Angola.
The company anticipates returning to Angola in the coming months to negotiate logistics and supply terms of the AQUAtap™ for use in rural communities throughout the country and for the construction of an AQUAtap™ assembly plant. As a result, Quest Water management believes the company is on track to meet or exceed its goals and milestones for 2012 and beyond.
About Quest Water Global Inc.
Quest Water Global Inc., and it wholly-owned operating subsidiary Quest Water Solutions Inc., is an innovative water technology company that provides sustainable and environmentally sound solutions to water scarce regions. We use proven technologies to create economically viable products that address the critical shortage of clean drinking water in developing countries. Our goal is to address the vital issue of water quality and water supply by providing an alternative, sustainable source of pure water at the smallest possible environmental cost to global areas in need, while becoming a leading company in providing turn-key solutions using alternative energy for the purification, desalination, and distribution of clean drinking water.
About Angola's "Water for All" Program
The "Water for All" program ("Agua para Todos") is a $650 million initiative of Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos. The program is managed by five Ministries: Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development, Ministry of Environment, and the entire program is coordinated by the Ministry of Energy & Water. The program was launched in 2007, and began in 2009/2010. The first phase will continue through to 2015, with the second phase continuing through 2020. Under the program, Angola has committed to providing clean water to 80% of its rural population and 50% of urban dwellers by 2015, with targets raised to 100% and 80%, respectively, by 2020. Current total population of Angola is approximately 19 million with 56.7% of the population being urban and 43.3% rural.
About the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
At the Millennium Summit in September 2000 the largest gathering of world leaders in history adopted the UN Millennium Declaration, committing their nations to a new global partnership to reduce extreme poverty and setting out a series of time-bound targets with a deadline of 2015, that have become known as the Millennium Development Goals. Goal 7 – Ensure environmental sustainability, Target 10 - Halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water.
For further information, please contact our office at 866-432-6983 or Jackie McClure, Corporate Communications Manager, directly at 604-565-1103.
Notice Regarding Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains projections and forward-looking statements, as that term is defined under applicable securities laws. Statements in this press release, which are not purely historical, are forward-looking statements. These statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks which may cause actual results and the Company's plans and objectives to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information, including: negative results from the Company's field operations; the effects of government regulation on the Company's business; risks associated with the Company's ability to obtain and protect rights to its intellectual property; risks and uncertainties associated with the Company's ability to raise additional capital; loss of management; and other factors beyond the Company's control. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity or performance. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and, except as required by applicable law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all of such factors and to assess in advance the impact of such factors on the Company's business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Readers should also refer to the risk factor disclosures and other disclosures outlined in the Company's periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Edgar at www.sec.gov and with the British Columbia Securities Commission on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.