In Apia, the capital city of Samoa, the Samoa Water Authority (SWA) operates the water supply system, but it has been facing problems such as high non-revenue water rate due to leakage, untreated water supply, and improper operation of the water treatment plant. This low level of water service resulted in low customer satisfaction and a failure to increase the rate of fee collection, and the SWA’s financial situation was in the red. In response, SWA worked with local governments in Okinawa Prefecture to improve water treatment processes and strengthen measures to prevent non-revenue water, and as a result, a system for monitoring non-revenue water rates and implementing effective non-revenue water measures was established in the Alaoa Water Supply District and other areas. In addition, seven water treatment plants in Apia achieved 100 percent drinking water quality standards, which improved user satisfaction and SWA’s financial balance. However, SWA’s operating balance is still in the red without government grants and cooperation from development partners. Therefore, it is important to expand activities such as non-revenue water control to other water districts to increase the volume of water received and the number of connections, improve user satisfaction, and improve the rate of fee collection.
This cooperation is expected to ensure a stable supply of safe water by building a system to ensure a stable supply of safe water in the Furuasou EU Water Supply District on the island of Upolu and the Palauri Water Supply District on the island of Saba’i through capacity building and strengthening internal training systems for water distribution management, leak detection, pipe installation and leak repair, meter reading and fee collection. The company expects to ensure a stable supply of safe water by building a system that ensures a stable supply of safe water.
© Source JICA