The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

NON-REVENUE water losses in New Providence account for 56 per cent of the Water and Sewerage Corporation’s supply, its general manager said yesterday, adding that system leaks were about three-four times’ the international average for a properly-run water utility.

“For New Providence we lose on average six million gallons a day. That’s more than 50 per cent of our supply, and it costs the Corporation close to $16 million a year,” said Glen Laville at a meeting of the Rotary Club of West Nassau.

“Right now, the rate of leaks that we have in our system from our water mains is about three to four times what the international average should be for a properly run system.

“For our service connections it’s about 30 times’ what the international average for a properly run system should be, so it shows that there is a need for investment in our assets, replacements of our assets. The reason why it deteriorated is because we have not been able to invest in it over time.”

Last year, the Water and Sewerage Corporation obtained an $81 million loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), with $49 million from that sum directed at reducing non-revenue water; $15.5 million for rehabilitating sewer plant infrastructure and designing a master plan for wastewater treatment; and $5.5 million for institutional strengthening of the Corporation to improve staff productivity and customer service.

“The water losses component is going to cost $49 million, and what it seeks to do is reduce our water losses from six million gallon a day to 2.5 million gallons a day in five years, which is 2017,” Mr Laville said. “

“Right now, non-revenue water is about 56 per cent of what we supply. By the time we finish this project it will be down to 20-22 per cent.”

The corporation signed a million non-revenue water reduction (NRW) contract with Miya/Veritec back in February.