Water Utility Corporation
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Transcript of Water Utility Corporation
WRITTEN BY JACK SLATER
The Water Utility Corporation based in Botswana, the bosom of Africa, have a major undertaking ahead of them. Four years ago in 2009 a take-over was announced that has created waves of change that they have worked hard to lead.
FROM THE Source
Quote
The centralisation of the
water sector in Botswana
under the Water
Utilities Corporation (WUC) has
already made some noticeable
differences to the capacity of
the country’s water supply, a
trend that is set to continue, said
Nginani Mbayi, Deputy Chief
Executive Officer for Operations
and Water Resources.
“Our mandate is to ensure
that clean, potable water flows
to all areas in the country
including rural sectors. In
2009 this expanded to include
supply of potable water and the
provision of wastewater services
in areas previously catered for
by Department of Water Affairs,”
said Mbayi. “Further to this it is
our task to operate and maintain
dams and other water resources
such as well fields and also
improve infrastructure.”
Improving Botswana’s
supply of drinkable water is of
paramount importance for the
continued welfare of the country
and the people. In 2009, the state
of water was given providence
by the Botswanan Government
following a National Water
Master Plan Review and this
sets an example of the role WUC
plays.
“At the base level people
need drinking water to live and
reserves for sanitation,” says
Mbayi, “We are improving the life
of the people in Botswana, and
are grateful that the Government
has given this a major priority.”
The Water Sector Reform
which has given new controls
of the water sector to the
WUC were first suggested
in 2005-2006 when the
National Water Master Plan
Review recommended a major
restructuring of the fractured
system. The Implementation of
the recommendations started in
2009 on a five year programme.
Since 2009, WUC has been
pressing ahead with the Water
Sector Reform that was first
planned in 2005, targeted to
be completed in 2014: “We are
well ahead of our programme,”
says Mbayi. “However, that does
not mean we should ignore or
be complacent about particular
challenges.”
WUC
Their intention is a simple one: provide clean and accessible water for the country. The programme, predicted to take five years and incorporating 540 villages was broken down into 6 phases and is a year ahead of its target, already in its last phase in April 2013.
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With a wide cultural and fiscal selection in the country, some areas
are slower on the development than others an approach of patience
and logic is needed, “Whilst villages have been taken over “as-is” in
terms of infrastructure, there are a number of emergency projects
that aim at improving operational efficiency and reduce water losses.
These are areas which mostly have been operating manually, have
serious water losses and inadequate infrastructure capacity in the
short to medium term.”
Capital projects including pipelines and treatment plants take up
most of the WUC budget. Drinking water and quality waste water
(for sanitation) that is easily and regularly available is the primary
concern and influences all of their decisions. The expansion of water
and wastewater reticulation network to meet the development needs
and the integrity of customer data in areas taken over under the
Water Sector Reforms has been a major challenge to WUC. However,
it all boils down to the financial viability and availability to complete
these projects and measures have to be put in place to ensure it is all
functioning smoothly.
“Achieving objectives for the Water Sector Reforms is crucial, we
are also responsible with achieving a good financial performance and
to this we have introduced fair tariffs,” says Mbayi.
A parastatal body enacted by an Act of Parliament in 1970, The
Corporation itself has roots dating further back into Botswanan
history, with an original mandate to manage the supply and
distribution of water in the Shashe Development Area. Eventually this
was expanded upon to include water supply and distribution to urban
and industrial areas and later on bulk water supply to urban villages.
In 1999 WUC became a pioneer in the country by implementing
integrated business system called Systems Application Product (SAP)
to improve delivery on customer services.
“The benefits of having an integrated business system are often
demonstrated as it has delivered a lot on customer service delivery”
said Mbayi. “Our greatest challenges has been to adopt some of
the systems we took over in 2009 and bring them in line with other
processes at WUC.”
Due to taking over different sections, WUC has inherited more
than 2,200 staff to add to its existing 800 employees and integrating
them comes with the challenge of uniting the different cultures from
the different organisations. The secret, Mbayi maintains, Is to unite
their goals first to ensure everything is moving in the right direction
towards supplying uninterrupted water utilities to all of Bostwana.
Mbayi and the Directors at the WUC believe that its overall mission
is within sight:
“We all look forward to the day when we can look back and say
with pride that water service level has increased in all corners of the
country.”
Relying on a wealth of experience the WUC are succeeding in
making the biggest differences to clean water and quality wastewater
services. Management are keen to highlight that things have only just
begun and there is still a lot that WUV will be able to provide.
WUC
00267 7130 9746
WWW.WUC.BW
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