Working Areas
Non-Revenue Water (NRW 1): Commercial Losses Management
Other
Organizations Involved
Provincial Waterworks Authority Thailand — Lead Mentee
Ranhill Utilities Berhad — Lead Mentor
WaterLinks
—
Broker
SDGs
6.1Universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all
Project description
The aim of this WOP is to improve operational efficiencies across PWA's network of waterworks by reducing water losses and non-revenue water
Project main objectives
to improve operational efficiencies across PWA's network of waterworks by reducing water losses and non-revenue water (NRW);
four key priorities: (1) strengthening non-revenue water (NRW) management; (2) improving water quality management; (3) conducting a benchmarking study to compare services delivery with other Asian utilities; and (4) improving knowledge on water treatment optimization and engineering processes;
four key priorities: (1) strengthening non-revenue water (NRW) management; (2) improving water quality management; (3) conducting a benchmarking study to compare services delivery with other Asian utilities; and (4) improving knowledge on water treatment optimization and engineering processes;
Most significant results
Describe WOPs activities
January 2007:
Ranhill shared its best practices on understanding, strategizing for and tackling water losses for 50 PWA senior managers and directors. At the event, Ranhill's CEO presented the benefits of proper NRW management to a company's efficiency and viability.
Ranhill also trained 50 operations staff from various PWA waterworks and training centers across Thailand on understanding water losses and their causes, the impact of water losses on revenues, and key factors for effective NRW reduction. Ranhill introduced the International Water Association water audit method and provided a free software program in Thai called "Easy-Calc" to create a water balance. At the training's conclusion, Ranhill assigned operations staff to conduct a water audit in their waterworks with real data.
March 2007
Ranhill remotely worked with PWA to assist with water balance preparation using the Easy-Calc software. Ranhill gave practical inputs to resolve data gathering and analysis challenges PWA staff encountered in calculating the water balance. Ranhill and USAID jointly analyzed the water balance assignment process and output.
April 2007:
Since PWA staff noted the difficulty of collecting correct data and determining calculated assumptions for the water balance preparation, Ranhill shared its approaches to gather robust data and prepare a water balance. Ranhill also trained 50 PWA staff on identifying various elements of NRW (commercial and physical losses) and on developing key strategies to address them based on experiences in Johor. With increased capability to estimate water balance and determine NRW sources, PWA can better strategize for NRW reduction.
June 2007
Five key PWA managers responsible for technical affairs visited Ranhill's operations in Johor Baru to observe how Ranhill implements activities to reduce water losses. The managers participated in discussions and field visits to note DMA design and operations, leakage detection approaches, customer meter calibration and replacement procedures, and customer services management. The managers also visited Ranhill's new water production facility and discussed in detail the modern water quality monitoring system in operation at the site
August 2007:
Having recently completed DMA establishment and NRW reduction activities in Uthong in Central Thailand through a private contractor, PWA required additional training on operating and monitoring DMAs to ensure system sustainability. In Uthong, Ranhill conducted both a theoretical and hands-on training on DMA design, establishment, and management, including Uthong Waterworks staff responsible for managing the newly-activated DMAs. Ranhill demonstrated best practices to do step testing, undertake leakage detection, use data loggers, analyze pressure and flow data, conduct customer meter surveys, and calculate nighttime and legitimate flow, among other strategies.
February 2008:
PWA is adopting key approaches and best practices shared by Ranhill to manage water losses and reduce NRW. PWA produced in Thai and distributed the "NRW Managers Handbook" developed through the twinning to its 226 waterworks while its regional training centers integrated Ranhill’s NRW training modules on water auditing, identifying NRW components, developing NRW management strategies, and understanding and managing DMAs in order to raise capacity among key operations staff and ensure targeted actions for reducing NRW.
Several PWA engineers and managers applied hands-on and practical techniques for managing and operating DMAs, including best practices for collecting and analyzing DMA data to verify DMA establishment, monitor performance, and maintain target NRW levels in service areas
July 2009:
Practitioners from Ranhill Utilities visited Surabaya to provide technical advice on delivering continuous water supply to 4,400 households through improved pressure management.
four areas of cooperation to help it: (1) NRW reduction program; (2) KPI
development and benchmarking; (3) improved water treatment processes and plants review; and (4) water quality control enhancement. The cooperation will initially address NRW reduction and KPI/benchmarking; PWA and ECO-Asia will explore the others later following the start-up and of activities of the first two priorities. In all four areas, PWA seeks to increase the capacities of its staffs in its regional zones and plans to institutionalize associated capacity building programs through establishment of working groups/task force. Therefore, ECO-Asia and PWA will focus on national level activities that can be further applied and replicated according to the conditions of PWA’s waterworks. Essentially, the cooperation aims to help enable PWA to further improve and/or expand its services and potentially to provide a foundation for targeted subsidies, investment plans and tariff increases during its annual reporting to the Cabinet.
January 2007:
Ranhill shared its best practices on understanding, strategizing for and tackling water losses for 50 PWA senior managers and directors. At the event, Ranhill's CEO presented the benefits of proper NRW management to a company's efficiency and viability.
Ranhill also trained 50 operations staff from various PWA waterworks and training centers across Thailand on understanding water losses and their causes, the impact of water losses on revenues, and key factors for effective NRW reduction. Ranhill introduced the International Water Association water audit method and provided a free software program in Thai called "Easy-Calc" to create a water balance. At the training's conclusion, Ranhill assigned operations staff to conduct a water audit in their waterworks with real data.
March 2007
Ranhill remotely worked with PWA to assist with water balance preparation using the Easy-Calc software. Ranhill gave practical inputs to resolve data gathering and analysis challenges PWA staff encountered in calculating the water balance. Ranhill and USAID jointly analyzed the water balance assignment process and output.
April 2007:
Since PWA staff noted the difficulty of collecting correct data and determining calculated assumptions for the water balance preparation, Ranhill shared its approaches to gather robust data and prepare a water balance. Ranhill also trained 50 PWA staff on identifying various elements of NRW (commercial and physical losses) and on developing key strategies to address them based on experiences in Johor. With increased capability to estimate water balance and determine NRW sources, PWA can better strategize for NRW reduction.
June 2007
Five key PWA managers responsible for technical affairs visited Ranhill's operations in Johor Baru to observe how Ranhill implements activities to reduce water losses. The managers participated in discussions and field visits to note DMA design and operations, leakage detection approaches, customer meter calibration and replacement procedures, and customer services management. The managers also visited Ranhill's new water production facility and discussed in detail the modern water quality monitoring system in operation at the site
August 2007:
Having recently completed DMA establishment and NRW reduction activities in Uthong in Central Thailand through a private contractor, PWA required additional training on operating and monitoring DMAs to ensure system sustainability. In Uthong, Ranhill conducted both a theoretical and hands-on training on DMA design, establishment, and management, including Uthong Waterworks staff responsible for managing the newly-activated DMAs. Ranhill demonstrated best practices to do step testing, undertake leakage detection, use data loggers, analyze pressure and flow data, conduct customer meter surveys, and calculate nighttime and legitimate flow, among other strategies.
February 2008:
PWA is adopting key approaches and best practices shared by Ranhill to manage water losses and reduce NRW. PWA produced in Thai and distributed the "NRW Managers Handbook" developed through the twinning to its 226 waterworks while its regional training centers integrated Ranhill’s NRW training modules on water auditing, identifying NRW components, developing NRW management strategies, and understanding and managing DMAs in order to raise capacity among key operations staff and ensure targeted actions for reducing NRW.
Several PWA engineers and managers applied hands-on and practical techniques for managing and operating DMAs, including best practices for collecting and analyzing DMA data to verify DMA establishment, monitor performance, and maintain target NRW levels in service areas
July 2009:
Practitioners from Ranhill Utilities visited Surabaya to provide technical advice on delivering continuous water supply to 4,400 households through improved pressure management.
four areas of cooperation to help it: (1) NRW reduction program; (2) KPI
development and benchmarking; (3) improved water treatment processes and plants review; and (4) water quality control enhancement. The cooperation will initially address NRW reduction and KPI/benchmarking; PWA and ECO-Asia will explore the others later following the start-up and of activities of the first two priorities. In all four areas, PWA seeks to increase the capacities of its staffs in its regional zones and plans to institutionalize associated capacity building programs through establishment of working groups/task force. Therefore, ECO-Asia and PWA will focus on national level activities that can be further applied and replicated according to the conditions of PWA’s waterworks. Essentially, the cooperation aims to help enable PWA to further improve and/or expand its services and potentially to provide a foundation for targeted subsidies, investment plans and tariff increases during its annual reporting to the Cabinet.