The WUP-Severn Trent Water International partnership is expected to improve operational and management of utilities.
Click here to enlarge imagePhase two was awarded to Severn Trent Water International in association with the Water Engineering Development Centre (WEDC) of Loughborough University in the UK. The objectives were to define the strategy for correcting the weaknesses identified during the first phase by working with the utilities to develop Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs) and to select pilot zones for reduction of unaccounted for water.
Project tasks were completed over a period of two years. A team of experts led by Severn Trent Water International made three separate visits to each utility and worked with a team in each utility. The first visit facilitated an institutional analysis of each utility along with actions to be included in the development of PIPs and the identification of at least one unaccounted for water pilot zone for each utility. The visit also enabled team members to identify subjects that should be covered in subsequent two-week training workshops. The training covered all aspects of modern utility management including finances, asset management, managing change, use of performance targets, tools for institutional analysis and a framework for producing a PIP.
The second mid-term visits ensured that the training and recommended methodology for the development of PIPs and reduction in unaccounted-for-water were understood and being adopted. These visits were followed by one-week seminars during which each utility presented its draft plans for peer review and discussion by the participating utilities and other invited utilities.
The third and final visit helped utilities complete the PIPs and pilot unaccounted-for-water schemes. The PIPs helped the utilities quantify the gap between their current practices and a set of key factors for good utility management, and then develop plans to bridge the gap by implementing appropriate staffing structures, assuring the availability of required skills as well as deploying appropriate policies, prices, tools and techniques. The analysis enabled the utilities to set SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound) targets and to specify responsibilities. Each utility also set up pilot zones as a practical way of introducing and learning appropriate techniques to minimize unaccounted for water.
The long-term planning process requires a long-term financial analysis. Participating utilities are now armed with a straightforward financial model that has enabled them to explore their financial options and understand the inter-relationships between different operational activities and outcomes. This has also enabled them to set their targets with an understanding of the financial parameters necessary for sustainability.
The main challenge of any plan is its implementation, and although this project was principally concerned with planning, all participants have started the process of implementation, including changes in staff structures, commercial practices relating to billing and debt recovery, tariff structures and levels, maintenance levels and practices, asset management planning, management information systems, budgets and target setting.
The successful partnership between WUP and Severn Trent Water International is a model for making a positive step to reduce water shortages in Africa, while assisting African water utilities to enhance their operational and management self-sufficiency.
Author’s Note
Malcolm Wilkes is the regional director (Middle East and Africa) of Severn Trent Water International, based in Birmingham, United Kingdom.