DHI receives award for Middle East and North Africa strategies to reduce non-revenue water

MENA NWC’s inaugural biennial congress was held in Muscat, Oman from 9-11 November 2015. The congress’s primary focus was for the Network’s 24 member water research centres to define a research agenda that is directly relevant to real-world needs and has the potential for rapid impacts at a global scale. The congress also provided a forum for researchers and scientists from the Network’s member centres and partnering institutions to share research findings and impacts.

The project’s goals are:

• Analyse the causes for high NRW in the Arab Region utilities and investigate the reasons behind fluctuations in NRW management performance – through understanding the underlying factors and challenges related to sector governance, utility organisation and structures, operational systems and functions, nature of supply and services, and network physical status
• Develop the capacity within ACWUA to provide support to its utility members to target NRW reduction and advance utilities efforts to improve performance
• Create and strengthen a permanent NRW task force within ACWUA as a continuing technical resource to the region, particularly for expanding the effort to new utilities
• Support ACWUA utilities in developing and implementing action plans to reduce NRW
• Build linkages and knowledge-exchange platforms between ACWUA and African Water Association (AfWA) members through common research on NRW problems in the region

With the award, DHI’s position as the expert in water environments is further celebrated among MENA’s water centers. We are looking forward to extending our urban water offerings to clients and partners in the region.

The participants of the MENA NWC’s inaugural biennial congress. © Christel Milazzo, Development Alternatives Inc. (DAI)