GWF and WATER FOR WATER join forces to ensure access to water
Lucerne - GWF AG and the non-profit-organization WATER FOR WATER are together making water flows transparent for the first time thanks to digital monitoring processes. This is now also being implemented in a pilot project in Zambia, with the aim of creating a self-sustaining, accepted system that guarantees safe access to water.
GWF AG and the association WATER FOR WATER (WfW) are joining forces as a show of commitment to reducing water loss through leaks in pipelines. This unused water deprives communities in poorer parts of the world of the revenues they require for the maintenance, operation and expansion of their water networks.
The family-owned company GWF, which boasts 125 years of tradition in the field of metering technology, and WfW, with years of experience in developing water supply systems in small towns, are now setting about tackling this problem together, as detailed in a statement issued by the two Lucerne-based partners. This state that this cross-sector alliance shows that entrepreneurial thinking and social impact are not mutually exclusive concepts but rather constitute prerequisites for the development of long-term solutions.
«The challenges in the water sector are far too complex to be solved in isolation», as Florian Strasser, CEO and Chairman of GWF AG, explains. «We contribute our technological expertise in measurement and data analytics. WfW provides the critical on-the-ground operational know-how and deep social embeddedness. This collaboration – which also includes responsibility for installation and operation - enables us to achieve a sustainable impact for the local community».
GWF and WfW first put their collaboration into practice as part of the «Water in a Box» pilot project, which was realized in the small town of Pemba in southern Zambia. GWF supplies the solar-powered metering technology as well as the digital infrastructure for monitoring and billing, while WfW installs the systems and will operate them in the future as a licensed water supplier.
The model will now be scaled to additional small towns. According to the information, in the Southern Province of Zambia alone, around 150 comparable towns are facing similar challenges. «By reducing water losses and fairly billing actual consumption, we create a system that is financially self-sustaining, socially accepted, and provides people with reliable access to water over the long term», explains Lior Etter, Co-Executive Director of WATER FOR WATER.
