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WaterLinks has new WOPs: CWASA, Bangladesh and SUEZ, India
Chattogram, Bangladesh (formerly Chittagong) is the country's second largest city with a population of about 5 million; it is also the largest seaport in Bangladesh. The Chattogram Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (CWASA) has grown significantly and currently produces 350 million liters of treated water per day that is distributed via 760 kilometers of pipeline network to about 75,000 service connections. Its annual billing is about $12 million. CWASA is the recipient of considerable assistance, both past and ongoing, from the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, and Japan International Cooperation Agency.
The Global WOPs Alliance (GWOPA) asked WaterLinks to undertake the design and implementation of a WOP to help CWASA; the WOP is funded by the Opec Fund for International Development. WaterLinks identified SUEZ, India, as the mentor and a diagnostic visit to Chattogram was underaken from 18-22 November 2019. The SUEZ, India, team comprised Sandeep Mahajan, Deputy General Manager; Vasant Joshi, Senior Business Development Manager ; and Conrad Fernandez, Project Director, Water Loss Management Projects; WaterLinks was represented by Mai Flor, Executive Director, and Yolanda Gomez, WOP Facilitator.
Discussions were held by the mentors with several senior staff of CWASA. Workshops and field visits were also undertaken. The GWOPA-prepared tool of Sustainability Improvement Plan was used to diagnose CWASA's current situation. After extensive analysis, the partners initially identified and agreed to work on the following operational areas:
Non-Revenue Water Management
IT/GIS
The mentors recommended the gathering of available data for two (2) pilot areas. These data will be assessed by the mentor and it will determine the most suitable site as well as the final work areas. SUEZ, India, identified data requirements for CWASA to collect and submit by 10 February 2020. The mentee visit to India is scheduled for 24-28 February 2020. The objective is to expose CWASA to technologies such as helium-based leak detection, GIS mapping, and hand-held remote billing systems during their visits to Delhi and Kolkata.
SUEZ, India, is a company engaged in the business of designing, building and operating and maintaining distribution networks, water treatment plants, wastewater treatment plants including provision of customer services. It currently operates 25 water treatment plants and supplies 5.5 billion liters of water per day to about 44 million urban residents. About 5.8 million people benefit from sewage treatment services provided by the company.
The WOP will be implemented over 22 months. It will complement support that is being provided by the external partners of CWASA and will contribute to the utility's improved operational performance.