Teaming up to help a developing nation with their water woes
As the only Australian or New Zealand water company to be selected for the program, we promptly pulled together a team of engineers and technicians all keen to apply their skills and knowledge in a totally different environment.
Largely funded by the Asia Development Bank, our involvement in the partnership program commenced in June 2008 with a visit by key members of our engineering team to the Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD), a government-owned water company in the heart of the Philippines.
A busy, vibrant and fast-growing metropolis, Cebu has a population of approximately two million people (similar to Adelaide).
Despite its rapid growth, Cebu is the oldest city and also has the oldest water pipe network in the Philippines. And to make matters worse, many of the pipes are above-ground and exposed, making them prone to damage.
With this in mind, our first goal was to work with them to reduce unaccounted-for water (water lost through bursts, leaks and un-metered usage) from 30% to 15%. To this end, we have broken down the project into a number of steps:
Planning – this stage involves collecting data about the Cebu network, evaluating it and preparing a detailed plan to show the location of all water pipes in the area. We will also collect the maintenance history and flow data, as well as conduct field surveys, if required, to confirm the location of specific pipes. The planning phase of the project is expected to take 3 months.
Resourcing – this involves determining how the work identified in the planning stage is going to be completed. Cost, manpower and equipment needs will be investigated, as well as funding sources.
Implementation – once the work programs have been scoped out and the resources allocated, works will commence undertaken by the MCWD with guidance from City West Water employees (who will be on-site in Cebu when required).
Completion of the project – when all works have been finalised, we aim to bring together all the learnings into a ‘best practice’ workshop and maintenance program for the MCWD.
In addition to this work, we will be conducting training and information sessions with MCWD employees. We will also be inviting members of the MCWD team to visit the City West Water head office to gain a thorough understanding of our systems.