Smarter Drinking Water Systems for Booming Cities

Rising cities, greater water demand

Over half of the world’s megacities are in Asia, while small and medium-sized cities are growing faster than larger ones. Water shortages and water management are increasingly important as the unprecedented scale of urbanization demands more water. 

Although many cities in South Asia have implemented reforms to improve water sector performance, many issues remain unresolved. Service coverage in South Asia is lagging behind the global average of 89%. Nonrevenue water, which is water produced in the system but deemed “lost” (through theft, metering inadequacies, and other reasons) before reaching the consumers, is as high as 40%.

Many water operators lack the knowledge and skills to operate water supply systems effectively and water resources development is not keeping pace with demand projections. Most water utilities barely cover operation and maintenance expenses, so they depend on government subsidies for most capital expenditures.

ADB has been promoting public–private partnerships (PPPs) and design–build–operate contracts and targeting nonrevenue water reduction to help water utilities improve operational efficiencies and secure financial sustainability. More efficiency can be gained through affordable technologies and scaling up best practices. 

Water utilities in South Asia must be conversant with up-to-date operational knowledge and skills, relevant technologies, and best practices. Deploying smart water management technology based on information and communication technology (ICT), network solutions, and smart devices can enhance customer satisfaction and operational efficiencies.

Partners gear the cities up for efficiency

In partnership with the Republic of Korea e-Asia and Knowledge Partnership Fund, ADB responded to the targeted communities’ needs through a technical assistance (TA) initiative, Promoting Smart Drinking Water Management in South Asian Cities. The TA aims to enhance urban water supply services in South Asia by improving operational efficiency based on smart water management technology. It also tapped the Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-water) to introduce high-level technology and provide training programs.

The program set out to (i) develop operational plans to strengthen efficiencies of the selected water utilities and/or municipalities in South Asia; (ii) build knowledge and develop skills on smart water management and technologies, which include sharing knowledge on up-to-date, relevant technologies based on ICT for improving operational efficiencies; (iii) prepare financial sustainability improvement plans for the selected water utilities and/or municipalities in South Asia; and (iv) introduce new drinking water PPP contract modalities.

In partnership with the Republic of Korea e-Asia and Knowledge Partnership Fund, ADB responded to improve urban water supply services in South Asia by improving operational efficiency based on smart water management technology.

ADB’s country partnership strategies for Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, among South Asian countries, aim to increase the operational efficiency of water supply systems through PPPs and private sector investments.

Helping cities manage their water

The TA enhanced the operational efficiency and helped secure the financial sustainability of the selected water utilities in South Asia. 

In particular, the TA provided the pilot cities with customized business plans, training programs, and study visits for water utility operators to bring about much-needed transformational changes in how water supply systems are operated and managed. Through affordable technologies and scaling up best practices, K-water also transferred crucial up-to-date operational knowledge to water utilities of participating South Asian countries.

The target water utilities that the TA supported were selected based on the past and ongoing water projects funded by ADB. Following the recommendation from the South Asian governments, the TA supported six South Asian cities: Dhaka and Khulna in Bangladesh, Colombo in Sri Lanka, Chennai in India, Thimphu in Bhutan, and Kawasoti in Nepal. 

The TA enhanced the operational efficiency and helped secure the financial sustainability of the selected water utilities in South Asia.  

In Dhaka, Bangladesh, the TA supported the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (DWASA) by conducting diagnostic works on district metered areas (DMAs) to identify issues to address. One way to get a better understanding of water loss is to track flow through the system. DMAs are segments of a water system for which all inflows and outflows are monitored. As a result, a new operational technology plan was also developed and introduced to DWASA to efficiently manage these DMAs.

In Colombo, Sri Lanka, the National Water Supply and Drainage Board received support through sustainable management of its DMAs, including 69 new DMAs. The TA also developed and proposed operational skills using ICT to manage these new DMAs efficiently. 

Likewise, in Chennai, India, the TA developed and proposed appropriate technology to support the Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board in identifying and scaling up nonrevenue water management technologies.

Nine exposure visits to the Republic of Korea and the Philippines were organized and conducted between May 2017 and December 2019 for officials of water utilities and executing or implementing agencies from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.