Improving the performance of water utilities

Context

Jordan is one of the world’s most water-scarce countries. The available water resources – especially groundwater – have been heavily over-used for years. Meanwhile, the pressure on water resources continues to increase due to population growth, the impacts of climate change and economic development. Despite these challenges, the government of Jordan provides almost universal access to drinking water and improved sanitation.

However, the economic performance of some water utilities is extremely weak. This can be traced back to internal issues, such as high technical and administrative water losses and external circumstances, such as increasing energy tariffs.

Objective

The two water utilities, Yarmouk Water Company and Balqa Water Administration, have increased revenues and improved their economic performance with the ultimate goal to cover the costs of operation and maintenance to provide sustainable services to the more than 3 million citizens and refugees that reside in the Northern and middle governorates of Jordan.

Approach

Economic performance comes down to staff performance and customers’ payment morale. The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH facilitates a series of tailor-made, short-term and high-impact performance improvement programmes in seven selected regional operating units of the Yarmouk Water Company and Balqa Water Administration. The project supports the heads of departments of operation and maintenance, and customer service to identify revenue drivers and designs targeted interventions and on-the-job trainings to increase staff productivity, job satisfaction and customer satisfaction. 

GIZ cooperates with local and international consultants to fast-track the reduction of non-revenue water and the improvement of cost recovery through process optimisation, digitalisation of commercial management and organisational development.