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Cut in water losses

THE Water and Sewage Corporation expects an $81m contract with Israeli firm Miya Water will result in a significant reduction in water loss.

WSC General Manager Glen Laville told The Tribune yesterday that as it stands, the Corporation loses around 6.5 million gallons of water a day. A closer look revealed, he said, that the massive waste puts the WSC at more than a $16 million a year disadvantage.

But Mr Laville said that with the expertise of Miya Water, there are high hopes to reduce the losses to about $2 million. Miya has guaranteed, according to Works Minister Philip “Brave” Davis, to reduce the water losses.

And if their promises to do so do not materialise, Mr Davis said, “they won’t be paid the sums of money that we have contracted with them.”

Mr Laville said: “Most of our losses are due to underground leaks that don’t necessarily surface. 

“(So) what the IDB project will do, as a main component, we intend to accomplish it by the end of 2017. We should have that reduced from 6.5 million gallons a day to 2.5 million gallons a day. Then in another two years,  we are going to reduce it further to 2 million gallons a day.

“The contractor that we have working with us is going to be here for 10 years. So in the first  five years they are going to do reduction and in the last five years they maintain those reduced levels. At the end of the project, it would more or less pay for itself.”

Miya also plans to contract a number of Bahamian labourers. They will be trained to carry out specific duties once Miya’s 10-year tenure ends.

Mr Laville stressed the significance of using the city’s water supply.

“There is no doubt that the ground water in New Providence for the most part is polluted but obviously there are also home treatment systems that can be applied in an effort to improve that quality. But we always encourage people to have a city water supply because our supply is treated and we also test it on a regular basis,” he said.

Comments

John 11 years, 7 months ago

I have been hearing over and over about contracts being signed to reduce water loss, especially in New Providence. But after spending numerous sums of money, to the tune of millions, and millions, we are still being told that more than 50% of the waterp umped thru New Providence water mains goes unaccounted missing. So if after spending another $81 million and the problem still exists then someone needs to check to see why so much money is going "missing" with no favorable results.

kuki12 9 years, 10 months ago

The Israeli firm Miya Water has over a decade of experience in the reduction of water loss so the $81m contract will surely pay off long-term for the Water and Sewage Corporation. The Corporation has invested in water quality control from http://mcnabinc.com/">http://mcnabinc.com/ in order to make sure they offer the best quality water possible, so cutting their losses is the logical next step.

CarrieBaker 9 years, 10 months ago

Technological evolution is a step towards a modern society. Solutions like these contracts, modern equipment or even http://ultracheminc.com/vacuum-pump-oil/">vacuum pump oils show that our society is getting involved in the real problems of this world and is trying to fix them. Nothing is more advantageous than the investment in the "ideal team": advanced technology and best experts.

Petra 9 years, 10 months ago

This is a good initiative, given the circumstances. Sadly there are places on earth where people's lives are turned upside down because of flooding. Many of them have to start rebuilding their houses and for them the help of the company that offers services related to http://24-7floodresponse.com/services/r…">water damage and restoration in Castle Rock is a godsend. Everybody seems to have their own problems everywhere, so help is needed, whether it comes from the officials or private companies.

CarrieBaker 9 years, 10 months ago

It would be a really great thing if the contract was signed. The significant water savings are a positive thing for all of us, especially because we wouldn't have to feel guilty anymore about the water use in taking long relaxing baths in hot tubs like the ones from http://factorydirecthottub.com/hot-tubs…">http://factorydirecthottub.com/hot-tubs…. Like Mr Laville said: “Most of our losses are due to underground leaks that don’t necessarily surface.“, therefore this contract would be a major improvement.

CarrieBaker 9 years, 10 months ago

These are great news, after reading this article, all we can do is wait for the contract to be signed. Imagine the excitiment of buying a new bath enclosure, for example, like the ones you can see here http://wyattmfg.com/model10ag.html">http://wyattmfg.com/model10ag.html but being impossible to enjoy because of this kind of news about water losses. Not enjoying a relaxing and refreshing hot shower makes you even more impatient about this contract.

duppyVAT 9 years, 10 months ago

Yep ............... good news for once from a public utility

Petra 9 years, 9 months ago

Investing in cutting water loss is a very important initiative, for obvious reasons and hopefully the project will be successful. A good infrastructure and quality http://www.masterpumps.com/services/">sewage pumps are important elements in this matter. But still, it looks like they need to invest a lot and come up with a good plan, since things are somewhat critical.

Petra 9 years, 9 months ago

The underground leaks that cause the water loss can also damage the foundations of the buildings, so intervening in order to solve this problem would also prevent the damages that water can cause to peoples' homes. People could take precautionary measures and have the foundation of their house consolidated with the help of a company specialized in offering such service, like http://www.dalrockfoundation.com/Founda…">http://www.dalrockfoundation.com/Founda…. Untill the problem gets solved, it is good to make sure you don't suffer additional damage because of the water infiltrations.

holymoly 9 years, 9 months ago

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loopkelly 9 years, 6 months ago

If the company which signs the contract with the Water and Sewage Corporation can not reduce the water losses, then another contract must be done with another company, more experienced in such activities. Many people, but also many companies resorted to the services from http://americanunderwaterservices.com/">http://americanunderwaterservices.com/ to obtain the best underwater construction, diving and dredging solutions to maintain the water supply.

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