Christian Decker
Capital Investment Program Director
LEMA (Suez Environment – MWHAJ)

Abstract
This paper explores LEMA’s experience in tackling NRW in Amman Jordan under sever network rationing conditions. It demonstrates, both through desktop study models and actual field pilot works, that rationing stresses the network to an extent where bursts are a factor of about 30 times those expected in networks of a similar size in reasonable condition. The paper also shows how extending supply time, whilst maintaining rationing has only a marginal impact on water sales, but at the same time allows leaks to run for very much longer. The net effect that NRW is rapidly driven upwards.

The paper argues that the best strategy for the future is to move limited areas to continuous supply, rather than to increase rationing times across the whole supply area. This approach reduces rationing stresses in the network and allows the introduction of acoustic technology for leak location and minimum night flow analysis for leakage management. This progressive approach to continuous supply also places a lower need for water resource development because NRW is progressively reduced as supply is added to the system.

The paper also stresses that LEMA has improved the profitability of the utility from a loss of about US$3.6m at the start, to a profit of US$8.4 in 2003. Moving to continuous supply with the more expensive new resources in a sudden, rather than a progressive fashion, will significantly increase NRW and put the viability of the utility back into question. 

The paper goes on to discuss the Government’s capital investment program (CIP) aimed at introducing leakage districts through a network restructuring. The paper illustrates how LEMA has managed, at this early stage, to reduce NRW to 21% in those districts so far received from the Government with CIP investment, and put into continuous supply.