World Water Day * 2023

ARMENIA

Yerewan

Assistance Project for the Water Committee of Armenia and its main Structures

Since August 2021, Sachsen Wasser (Sa-Wa) has been supporting a KfW-funded Assistance Project for the Water Committee (WC) of Armenia and its main structures to further improve water sector development and quality of services to the Armenian
people.

The main aim is to support and improve the organisation and capacities of the WC to implement the water sector strategy, ensuring proper financial flows in the sector, improving sector development, and strengthening the sustainability of WSS companies.

In recent years, Armenia has made significant strides in reforming the water sector by developing policies, enacting laws, and drawing up plans, programs, and strategies to improve water service provision. More than one phase of reforms was initiated and implemented thereon. Lately, the water sector in Armenia has been developing dynamically, e.g., seeing the conclusion of Lease Contracts. Still, structures and capacities for oversight and monitoring of the Lease Contracts for further sector development and for sustainably managing 560 “off-grid” communities (unserved by the Lease Contracts) are not yet in line with the needs.

 

ARMENIA

Technical Audit

SaWa has completed the five-year Technical Audit of the Lease Contract in Armenia.

As an independent technical auditor, SaWa experts conducted an audit of the Lessee’s facilities and offices in Yerevan, where they audited, among other procedures, data processing and customer database, as well as data from the SCADA system. The work organisation and equipment was also reviewed, and the performance standards of the contract were monitored.

An Annual Customer Satisfaction Survey was conducted, and the fifth Independent Annual Audit Report was submitted.

BOLIVIA

PERIAGUA III – Programme for sustainable drinking water supply and sanitation in peri-urban areas

PERIAGUA III module is going into its 3rd year of implementation. Multiple missions have taken place to analyse and detect the impact on the water supply and quality from the influence of climate-related events and pollution. In order to keep improving, raising the awareness of the importance of water care is an important factor.

Together with the Ministry of Water, multiple events have been held in order to promote the importance of efficient, rational use of water and its care.

 

BOLIVIA

Sucre

Complementary Measures for Sucre IV (KfW)

The final year of the project has started. The main objective to contribute to ensuring the integral sustainability of the Water Service Operator (ELAPAS) is still ongoing. SaWa continues to support the local utility through financial, technical, commercial and management trainings.

The second phase of the project is most likely to end in March 2023.

 

ETHIOPIA, SUDAN, SOMALIA, UGANDA

UNICEF:
R-WASH Programme: Capacity Building and Support for Water Utility Companies in Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda and Sudan

Since October 2021, SaWa has been engaged in the R-WASH Programme for Capacity Building and Support for water utility companies in Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda and Sudan, which aims to support local utilities manage their water and sanitation facilities and reach 100% cost recovery for the targeted refugee and internally displaced persons camps and host communities.

During the last year SaWa has supported the utilities in a wide array of activities, most notably in the elaboration of business plans and their respective tariff models for each utility. Experts have also developed plans that will help the utilities with day-to-day operations, including non-revenue water management plans, performance improvement plans, water quality surveillance and safety plans, HR management plans, operations and maintenance plans and schedules, procurement plans, and business continuity plans. These plans also act as the basis for the on-going training program, which is a holistic approach encompassing all aspects of sustainable water utility management.

The first training modules will cover general accounting principles and financial management, proper operations and maintenance practices, and water quality testing procedures. Later trainings will focus on internal/external accountability, technical operations and non-revenue water, and commercial and financial topics. Experts have also procured IT hardware and software equipment for the utilities, which includes billing and accounting systems and solar panel installations. As part of the training program, SaWa will ensure that utility staff are trained on proper usage of the new billing and accounting system.

SaWa leads this project and is partnered with 5 international and local companies.

KENYA

Kericho, Kisii, Nyamira and Litein

Water and Sanitation Sector Development Program Lake Victoria South: Consulting Services for Accompanying Measures

Since May 2019, SaWa has been engaged in the KfW-funded Water and Sanitation Sector Development Program Lake Victoria South: Consulting Services for Accompanying Measures. Originally scheduled to come to an end in May 2022, the Accompanying Measures were extended until May 2023. This was primarily
done to account for Covid-19-related delays that had previously impacted the ability to carry out project-related activities.

In 2022 SaWa was able to successfully conduct an intensive capacity building program for both GWASCO and KEWASCO water and sanitation utilities. The capacity building measures included trainings on financial management,1 asset management, conducting energy audits, business planning, and procurement procedures. Unfortunately, high amounts of both non-revenue water and staff/managerial turn-over have plagued the utilities in recent years, leading to overall poor performance.
Therefore, a particular focus of the capacity building was given to trainings on good corporate governance and the reduction of nonrevenue water.

Together with the local partner, SaWa has also been supporting KEWASCO in the process of certification for ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems and ISO 55000:2014 Asset Management Systems. The certifications will ensure that KEWASCO’s customers get consistent, high-quality services, which will hopefully in turn bring future business benefits.

KOSOVO

Peja

Sewage Disposal in Southwest Kosovo Programme, Phase IV

SaWa’s activities have entered the final year/stage of the engagement. Phase II of the project started in June 2021 and is mainly focused on operational assistance and coaching of the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) staff (80,000 p.e., commissioned 1th of February 2022). SaWa has provided continues support to the new WWTP staff with regards to commissioning of the WWTP, operation & maintenance (O&M), trainings and troubleshooting. SaWa and partners have supported the Regional Water Company Hidrodrini in improving a number of O&M issues, improved the O&M procedures, provided the O&M strategy and established District Metered Areas in the Black Water Supply Area. Also, the WWTP functions as a department unit in the organisational structure of the company, was staffed and equipped. The Defects Notification Period has ended in January 2023 but SaWa’s support continues beyond until the end of 2023.

 

CAPACITY BUILDING

Focus of SaWa is, since more than 22 years, capacity development. Capacity Building is a process of developing and strengthening the skills, abilities, processes and resources that organizations need to survive and adapt in fast-changing surrounding. How this is done by SaWa for the water sector shows our explanation video on our website or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/9b9-REnm5W0#

KOSOVO

Gjakova

Sewage Disposal in Southwest Kosovo Programme, Phase III

After more than 6 years, SaWa’s project involvement in Gjakova was closed on the 9th of February 2023, with a final workshop at the premises of the client, KRU Gjakova (KRUG).

SaWa is pleased to have been at the service of this regional water company since 2016 with commercial, financial and institutional advisory and training services. A wealth of training and coaching as well as new procedures, studies, and guidelines have been delivered to KRUG.

After a break, the Accompanying Measures Component focused on operational and technical assistance for the newly built WWTP. Together with other project implementers, the coaching/training of all operational staff has been successfully completed. The operational staff of the WWTP have now a profound knowledge about allused procedures regarding management, O&M of the WWTP and have been able to apply this knowledge and are capable to solely operate the WWTP efficiently.

 

MOLDOVA

Cahul

Detailed Design and Construction Supervision: Accompanying Measure for Water Supply and Sanitation (KfW, EU)

The support to the water utility Apă-Canal of Cahul (ACC) continues into this year, and the bulk of the services will be completed by September 2023. In 2022, SaWa supported ACC in several fields, e.g. with the elaboration of a professional Business Plan and the successful application for a new tariff. While this is good news in the first place, the restrictive tariff methodology applied by the Regulator (ANRE) still prevents cost-covering tariffs (not only in Cahul, but also elsewhere in the country).

A stronger focus was put last year on Asset Management and the obligations of the utility and its owners/municipalities to register the water supply and wastewater ssets, which is a precondition for determining so-called “concession fees” that could eventually be applied to fill up Development Funds e.g. for renewal/rehabilitation measures. This is a crucial issue for the sustainability of the water companies.

In the field of O&M, support has also started on the wastewater side, with a number of advisory measures and coachings in sewer network O&M and the set-up of an industrial wastewater cadastre.

Under Component 5, SaWa experts supported the elaboration of tender documents for a major intervention regarding the implementation of a LoRaWAN system and smart meters in central Cahul and an IT package for the utility.

MOLDOVA

Călărași, Strășeni

Water Supply and Sanitation in Moldova Centre

In 2022, the Russian war in Ukraine has had an effect on the progress of this project. Travel was difficult and at times impossible due to the temporary closure of the Moldovan airspace. Still, services were continued, at lesser speed, regarding the institutional and contractual setup of the future operators of the Main Transmission Pipe (MTP) from Chișinău and the regional water supply systems in Călărași and Strășeni in Central Moldova. The Government of Moldova declared the project to be of national importance.

SaWa experts developed needed Financial Models and contractual packages for the future stakeholders, and advised the two existing water companies and their unicipalities in the formation of the Joint Stock Companies (JSCs), which is foreseen in 2023. Trainings were delivered to the Project Executing Agency in project management, FIDIC, financial and risk management. An institutional change at government level regarding the future ownership of the MTP has led to more
complexity.

Services under Phase 1 will be rendered until-mid 2025. The primary beneficiaries of the financial, commercial, technical and O&M assistance and training will be the newly established JSCs at Călărași and Strășeni.

 

TANZANIA

Simiyu

Simiyu Climate Resilience Project

Since July 2021, SaWa is engaged as a partner in a major water, sanitation and agricultural project in northern Tanzania (funded by GCF and KfW).

During the last year, the Project Management Unit (PMU) in Bariadi has been installed and staffed, with the support of SaWa experts. The design for the Bulk Water Pipeline between Lake Victoria and the Simiyu Region and its associated structures (Water Intake, Water Treatment and Reservoirs) is well advanced by now. Support for the build-up of institutional structures and utilities (Bulk Water Supply Company, Urban Water and Sanitation Authorities as well as rural Community-Based Water Supply Organisations) is ongoing.

SaWa experts have drawn up a capacity building and training plan to ensure a proper start of the (partly new) utility organisations. A Financial / Tariff Scenario has been worked out to review sustainability. Also, in the past months, SaWa experts have made important contributions to the mandatory ESHS safeguards of the programme, including the finalisation of the Bulk Water Project’s ESIA, the corresponding Resettlement Action Plan and the Stakeholder Engagement Plan.

Impressum: Sachsen Wasser GmbH * Managing Director: Dr. J. Wummel * Editor: B. Rohde, Project Management * Photos: SaWa Stephanstrasse 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany * Phone +49 (0)341 / 991 98 103 * info@sachsenwasser.com