Revenue Generation Aspects That Influence Financial Sustainability of Public Water Utilities in Kenya: The Case of Homa Bay Water and Sewerage Company Limited

Water sector reforms entrenched commercialization of water services and necessitated establishment of autonomous public utilities to cushion poor citizens from high market prices and guarantee access to water. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate how well the utility prepared its revenue generation operations to achieve financial sustainability in the commercialized water market. A cross-sectional design, with mixed methods approach, was applied, and primary data sourced in mid-2017 from water officers, users and committee members. Quantitative analysis techniques included cross-tabulation with Chi square statistic, Relative Importance Index and Kendall’s Coefficient of Concordance. The results show that non-revenue water was the most important aspect of revenue generation influencing the utility’s financial sustainability (relative weight = 0.879); followed by efficiency of the billing system (relative weight = 0.866); efficiency of revenue collection (relative weight = 0.853); and unaccounted for water (relative weight = 0.790). A strong and significant concordance of views expressed by different respondents implied that the revenue generation pillar was not adequately set to enable the utility achieve financial sustainability in the commercialized water market (Kendall’s W= 0.893, χ2 = 71.222, df = 4 & ρ-value = 0.000). The study amplifies need for the utility to control non-revenue and unaccounted for water; forge active partnership with community administrative structures and groups for early detection and reporting of physical leakages, pilferage and defective metering equipment; among other measures.

PENGEMBANGAN DAN KEBUTUHAN INVESTASI SEKTOR AIR BERSIH DI JAWA TIMUR

This research aimed to implement demand approach on water supply development in East Java Province. Data collecting in conducted through field and institutional survey to obtain actual and behavioral variables. System analysis is aperated to project the water supply development dynamically, during 1993 to 2010 periods. Study involved variables and equation model in four subsystem, i.e. (i) final demand and regional GDP, (ii) production and investment, (iii) population and household, and (iv) surabaya’s raw water. Result of research showed that water supply development based on demand approach succeded to create significant incentive through water price and management improvement and willingness to pay promotion, succeeded to create a significant incentive for the water supply development. The policies of price growth 2 percent, gradual decreasing of unaccounted for water into 30 percent, and decreasing water connection fee have produced water suplly performance as follows : water service ratio of 43.5 percent, production capacity of 31 m3 per second, 5-years investment need of 1.38 trilions rupiahs and return on investment of 30 percent. Those investment come from 27 percent governance loan, 30 percent commercial loan and 12 percent equity.Private sector participation in water supply sector is a key word for improving efficiency and management, decreasing unaccounted for water, improving the servece ratio and creating investment.

Real-time hydraulic interval state estimation for water transport networks: a case study

Hydraulic state estimation in water distribution networks is the task of estimating water flows and pressures in the pipes and nodes of the network based on some sensor measurements. This requires a model of the network as well as knowledge of demand outflow and tank water levels. Due to modeling and measurement uncertainty, standard state estimation may result in inaccurate hydraulic estimates without any measure of the estimation error. This paper describes a methodology for generating hydraulic state bounding estimates based on interval bounds on the parametric and measurement uncertainties. The estimation error bounds provided by this method can be applied to determine the existence of unaccounted-for water in water distribution networks. As a case study, the method is applied to a modified transport network in Cyprus, using actual data in real time.

Investigating unaccounted for water and its components in Zomba City water supply system, Malawi

This study assessed Unaccounted for Water (UFW) in Zomba City, Malawi in 2009 and quantified its real and apparent loss components. The study was carried out in the period January–May 2009 and focussed on three selected water supply zones (Airwing, Malonje and Sadzi) especially for determination of the components of non-revenue water (NRW). Field measurements of flow and utility records formed the basis of the study. It was established that the NRW for Zomba for the period 1999–2008 ranged from 20 to 36%. During the study period, the average UFW in the specific study areas was 13% of which 81% were real losses (Airwing); 62% with 58% real losses (Malonje); and 51% with 60% real losses (Sadzi). It was concluded that UFW for 2009 Zomba was above 23%, achieved by good performing water utilities in developing countries. Real losses were higher than apparent losses in all three specific study areas and this was driven by pressure. The study recommends real loss reduction through pipe replacement and improved pressure management, and apparent loss reduction through improved metering. Reduction of water losses is imperative in the wake of climate change and the need to attain Sustainable Development Goals.

Real-Time Hydraulic Interval State Estimation for Water Transport Networks: a Case Study

Hydraulic state estimation in water distribution networks is the task of estimating water flows and pressures in the pipes and nodes of the network based on some sensor measurements. This requires a model of the network, as well as knowledge of demand outflow and tank water levels. Due to modeling and measurement uncertainty, standard state-estimation may result in inaccurate hydraulic estimates without any measure of the estimation error. This paper describes a methodology for generating hydraulic state bounding estimates based on interval bounds on the parametric and measurement uncertainties. The estimation error bounds provided by this method can be applied to estimate the unaccounted-for water in water distribution networks. As a case study, the method is applied to a transport network in Cyprus, using actual data in real-time.

Investigating the management of unaccounted for water for Lilongwe Water Board, Malawi

Lilongwe Water Board (LWB) is currently unable to meet Lilongwe City's water demand as evidenced by low supply coverage (65%) and intermittent water supply in the city. One of the major challenges is high levels of unaccounted for water (UFW) reported at 37% (2012), higher than the recommended 23% for developing countries. This study, done in Lilongwe City (Areas 15, 18 and 28), investigated water losses and partitioned UFW into real and apparent losses. Data collection involved data logging for pressures and flows at selected points in the network, meter testing, and water audits. This study estimated an average UFW of 37.5% for Lilongwe City and 33%, 44% and 20%, respectively, in the specific study areas (Areas 15, 18 and 28). The UFW in Lilongwe City was higher than recommended and was also higher than recommended in Areas 15 and 18 but within the acceptable limit for Area 28. High UFW levels in Areas 15 and 18 were mainly driven by real losses. The LWB should consider partitioning of its UFW to establish the main drivers, implement active leak detection programme and active pressure management in areas with high pressures.

Analysis of water pricing in Ireland and recommendations towards a more efficient water sector

Within Ireland, both the public water supply and group water scheme (GWS) sectors are crucial entities in the provision of water supply to individuals. In this study, variances in water charges and operation are assessed via an in-depth survey of 104 GWSs in order to establish the range in both domestic and commercial charges, and also to establish the factors influencing these charges within the rural water sector. Results are compared with the commercial water charges of the 34 local authorities involved in the provision of public water and wastewater services. Devoid of regulation, tariff setting is highly decentralised with substantial variations in connection, fixed and volumetric charges across both sectors. Greater transparency is essential to establish the full cost of supply to domestic and non-domestic consumers. Findings reveal average GWS volumetric charges to be 35% lower than public supplies, resulting in communities wishing to retain ownership of their schemes as there is much greater control over water pricing. Historic underinvestment has led to an infrastructure deficit and deficiencies within the public supply sector are discussed, such as inadequate revenue collection and high unaccounted-for water. Furthermore, recommendations are made towards effective operation and pricing in light of proposed government plans to establish a national water authority.