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Bulk Meter Flow and Operations (BMFO) is a web-based application to manage
water meter readings.
This release adds several new features including
meter aggregation and access control. Installation
process and documentation have been improved.
BMFO is available from http://bmfo.sourceforge.net
DCMMS is a web-based GIS application to record and analyze maintenance activities in water supply networks. This release is adds a number of new features. Documentation, sample data and installation process have been improved. DCMMS is available from http://dcmms.sourceforge.net
Since today several students took the chance to write their thesis in the
course of the OMS project. Their work can now be downloaded
from this webpage. The topics are:
A Strategy to Reduce Technical Losses for Intermittent Water Supply
Systems
Increasing the efficiency of the water supply of Jordan by using integrated
GIS-based Information Technology
Private Sector Participation (PSP) in Jordan's Water Sector
DCMMS is a web-based GIS application to record and analyze maintenance activities in water supply networks. This release adds a number of new features and reports. documentation, sample data and installation process have been improved. DCMMS is available from http://dcmms.sourceforge.net
On 29/04/2005, GTZ will host a PPP business lunch on the IFAT 2005 in Munich, presenting business opportunities for private companies in the Jordanian water sector. More information is available in the flyer. OMS shall present Micro PSP options for customer services and leakage control/ repair and outsourcing proposals for the WAJ Central Workshop operations.
The Ministry of Communication & Information Technology (MOCIT) and Ministry of Eduction (MOE) are introducing a countrywide fibre optic network to link all schools and requested assistance from WAJ to provide digital data, showing school locations and water/ wastewater networks. This information will facilitate a smooth and fast planning of the fibre optic networks. As WAJ has already carried out comprehensive subcriber surveys (CSS) in 9 out of 12 governorates and built a GIS in these governorates, such information can easily be provided and assists the government in its e-government initiatives.
In its drive to introduce the GIS based Maintenance Management System in NGWA, the DCMMS web application has been introduced in the ROU Bani Obeid. Engineers and the NGWA repair teams have been trained and operation of DCMMS started full scale on 05/04/05. By adding the ROU Bani Obeid, seven out of ten ROU's in NGWA are using DCMMS.
The steering committee for the Madaba Micro PSP approved the incentive formula and the tender document for the engagement of private companies to improve billing & revenue collection. Tendering shall start in April, expected contract award around end of June.
NGWA closed the customer cycle 2004 end of March 2005. The preliminary results
show an increase in billed m3 of 7.8%, an increased revenue collection of
8.96% and an overall collection rate of 92.3%. These results are encouraging
as they have been achieved despite the cancellation of the management contract
tender and its subsequent uncertainty for NGWA staff. Although the accounts
receivable increased by 12.5%, the performance is better than 2003, when the
accounts receivable amounted to 26.3%.
Such encouraging results reinforce the decentralisation/ commercialisation
drive of WAJ and should provide the basis for even higher levels of PSP.
The consequent introduction and use of integrated information management tools lead to a record matching rate of 99.35% between the COBOSS customer information system and GIS geographic location of customers. Indirect benefits are improved revenues and better customer services and control.
OMS presented the draft of a NGWA Bonus Scheme for meter readers/ collectors (OMS WP 179), introducing principles of performance based incentive schemes and concrete proposals for the NGWA meter readers and collectors. The experience of the pilot scheme ROU Al Khoura were incorporated, as the introduction of such scheme in the piot area greatly contributed to the revenue improvement of more than 30%. If similar improvements can be made on NGWA level, the operating deficit could be eliminated within 2-3 years.
A delegation of nine professionals from the Public Establishment for Water
Supply & Sewerage Aleppo (PEWSSA) visited WAJ to get an understanding
about the practical effects of the Jordanian water sector reform to the operation
of water and wastewater systems. Besides the PMU, operating units like NGWA,
LEMA, CSS Balqa were visited and briefing visits to GTZ and KfW offices Amman
and the Dorsch Consult Regional/ Site offices for the KfW funded Amman II
programme made.
The Syrian delegation was quite impressed by the level of cooperation and
integration of GIS based software solutions accross all business fields and
felt the need to introduce similar solutions in Aleppo. Further cooperation
was agreed upon, and the information exchange shall continue.
WAJ/ PMU received 7 bids for the Management Consultant tender in NGWA and immediately started the evaluation process. The MaCo contract is partly funded by KfW, and shall support NGWA to achieve the 105% operating ratio in 2010, and continue part of the OMS initiatives. OMS shall be terminated as soon as the MaCo contract becomes operational and a handing over has been done, tentatively end of September 2005.
OMS and NGWA ROU Bani Obeid started the documentation of meter reading routes, one of the pre-requisites to introduce COBOSS II, an advanced version of the WAJ billing system. COBOSS II provides important features of a customer information system and extensive management reports. The programming and maintenance of this system is entirely done by WAJ systems analysts and programmers.
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