PHILIPSBURG--Water losses at Utilities Company GEBE have plummeted below the 30 per cent mark for the first time in six years, the company announced on Tuesday.
GEBE said its water losses, which were peaking close to 40 per cent (38.3 per cent) in 2013, decreased to 34.9 per cent in 2014 and 29.5 per cent in 2015. This is the first time in six years that water losses have been recorded below 30 per cent, GEBE said.
The company also recorded improvement in its electricity efficiency. The electricity losses were on average 8.7 per cent in 2013. This decreased to 7.4 per cent in 2014 and 6.8 per cent in 2015. “This shows that NV GEBE is operating within industry standards of electricity efficiency,” GEBE said in a press release.
As it relates to the water loss reduction, GEBE said it has been meticulously working on reducing water losses since 2014. As one of the priorities of the then newly installed board, management and staff set out a plan to increase the efficiency of the water distribution at GEBE.
GEBE acknowledges that there is “still a long way to go” to reduce the water losses even further. The aim is to have the Non-Revenue Water (NRW) Project or Water Loss Reduction Project reduced to less than 20 per cent by the end of 2017. To meet this goal, the Supervisory Board and Management has “committed” to continue its ambitious NRW plan.
Over NAf. 13 million have been earmarked for water projects in the 2016 budget. The requested amount for the continuation of the project in 2017 will be approximately the same, the company said in a press release.
The Water Loss Reduction project consists of, amongst other actions, locating and repairing major leaks, switching consumers to digital meters, installing bulk meters to better monitor water distribution, water tank repair, replacement and new tank installations and customer awareness programmes.
Some of these measures “were clearly visible by the community in 2015.” GEBE thanked its “hard working staff” for their tireless contributions as the results are reflected in the 2015 performance of the company.
The Supervisory Board and Management say they are counting on the continued support of the community as they are committed to improve and serve consumers better.
