Murang’a Water Company succeeds in curtailing water wastage

Murang’a Water and Sanitation Company (Muwasco) has reported the lowest rate of water wastage ever recorded in the recent past countrywide.
In 2018, the company recorded 24 percent of non revenue water, a big drop compared to huge losses, the company used to incur several years ago through water wastage.
Non Revenue Water (NRW) is water that that has been produced but is lost before reaching the customer, for instance, through leaks or metering inaccuracies.
Muwasco Managing Director Engineer Daniel Ng’ang’a, speaking when he received visitors from Kericho County on a benchmarking trip, said their efforts to curtail wastage on treated water has borne fruits particularly this time round, when water inflow has gone down.
He noted that the company has managed to supply about 92 percent of residents within its area of jurisdiction.
“Non-revenue water had occasioned the company to operate at a loss but we are working to ensure no treated water goes to waste,” he added.
On the visiting delegation from Kericho, Ng’ang’a said their aim was to benchmark on various developments that has made Muwasco to be rated as one of best water providers in the country.
He observed that some companies have been operating at a loss due to theft, among other forms of water wastage.
“Currently many parts of the country are experiencing dry spell thus the need to manage the available water prudently. In Murang’a the inflow of water to our treatment plant has dropped by 30 percent something which has occasioned water rationing in some areas of our jurisdiction,” he explained.
Existence of old water pipes and theft of treated water contributing highly to non-revenue water, the MD added.
Kericho County Executive Member for water Geoffrey Ruto, who led the visiting delegation, said their local water company was incurring 52 percent of non-revenue water.
He said from Muwasco, they will learn various ways to properly manage the available water, noting that through wastage, the Kericho Water and Sanitation Company was incurring a loss amounting to more than Sh5 million on daily basis.
“Currently water companies need to come up with ways to conserve environment, especially those which draw water from forests so as to ensure steady supply of the basic commodity,” he added.
Ruto said they are also going to learn how to put a water bottling plant like Muwasco to help in generating more revenue to supplement money given to the water firm.
Speaking during the same occasion, the Managing Director of Kericho Water and Sanitation Company Engineer Joseph Terer said his company operates at a deficit of 13 million litres of water.
Due to water wastage, Terer said his firm cannot meet water demand by its customers, thus the need to employ better strategies of managing available water.
He lauded Muwasco for great improvement in service delivery and establishment of alternative ways of generating revenue to support the firm on its mandate.
Meanwhile, Ng’ang’a announced plans by Muwasco to generate cooking gas from the firm’s sewerage plant.
“Visibility study of a gas generating plant at our sewerage site is complete and soon we will produce gas that is 50 percent cheaper for local residents,” he added.
By Bernard Munyao