WaTEr AThOrITY OF FII 2015 ANNaL REpOrT 2015 - Water Authority

Water Authority of Fiji – 2015 Annual Reportloss. In the year as per the capital expenditure plans,work was completed to replace 26,000 aged and seizedwater meters and to replace approximately 122 km’s ofaged water pipes in the reticulation system.Notable progress was also made in reducing the numberof intermittent water supply areas from previous 67 to22 by year end.Rural ProjectThe provision of consistent safe water supply to thosenot connected to the Authority’s reticulation systemremains a priority. 35 rural village and water supplyprojects were completed in 2015.The Authority also attended to a number of urgentrequests from the Government and Commissioners toalleviate water difficulties faced by generally remotecommunities.Tariff reviewTariff review is fundamental to meet the provisions ofthe Public Enterprise Act of 1996, which mandates theAuthority to be financially independent. Current tariffis amongst the lowest in the world and far below cost ofproduction. Work on the tariff review is continuing with thePacific Regional Infrastructure Facility (FRIF) and hopefulthe draft tariff study will be available for review soon.In the year, based on the government initiative toprovide relief to low income earners, free water schemewas introduced to provide 22 units of water per quarterfree to households with combined income of less than 30,000 per annum. (This free allowance equals to50 liters per person per day based on an average of 5persons per household).Effective ProcessesWork needs to be done to ensure key operational andaccounting processes are effective to prevent wastageand loss. Key processes for review include procurement,plant hire, hire of project staff, vehicle utilisation, stores andinventory management and efficiencies in field operations.Under the Twinning Program with Hunter WaterAustralia, a guideline was developed for preparationof capital expenditure and funding submissions thatis based on best case scenarios to extract optimumbenefits to the Authority.conservation. In the year, the Authority launchedthe Water Conservation Program “The Time To SaveWater Is NOW, Every Drop Is Precious!” this programwill be intensified in the years to come. The Authorityin conjunction with the government will launch otherinitiative such as distribution of free water tanks, whichwill assist communities in harvesting and conservingrain water for consumption purposes.Commenting on general matters, good progress wasmade in the year to draft a legislative guideline for LiquidTrade Waste Management. After extensive consultationswith stakeholders and a regime of trade waste testing,it is the intention to present a draft set of Bylaws forlegislative enactment. Liquid Trade Waste Managementis critical to ensure the sewerage treatment plantsare protected against toxic intrusions and also moreimportantly to protect the environment from dischargeof unsafe affluent from our treatment plants.The Authority received international recognition inthe year. The Twinning Program received internationalrecognition in the Water and Wastewater Sector, whenthe success of the partnership between the Authorityand Hunter Water Australia took center stage at the 3rdGlobal Water Operators Partnerships Alliance (GWOPA)Congress and General Assembly in Spain. The Authorityalso claimed the top award for the “The Most ImprovedWater Utility in the Pacific” at the Pacific Water andWastewater Association (PWWA) 8th Annual Conferenceheld in Papua New Guinea. At this conference, theAuthority’s Senior Business Analyst, Mr. Manasa Tusulu,was also awarded the “2015 Water Professional of theYear” for his contribution to the data collection thathelped the bench mark exercise of the PWWA.I take this opportunity to thank the Board of Directorsfor their commitment and vision in setting the strategicdirection of the Authority. I would also like to thankthe Chief Executive Officer and Senior Managementfor pursuing the strategic objectives of the Authoritysometime with limited resources and under difficultcircumstances.I also wish to thank the Government for its ongoingsupport and continued support in the future.Water ConservationLooking at the challenges ahead, particularly ClimateChange, a key area of focus will be promoting waterP.L.MunasingheCHAIRMAN7

Water Authority of Fiji – 2015 Annual Report8

Water Authority of Fiji – 2015 Annual ReportCEO’s ReportGraph 1:REVENUE VS OPEX Investments 201020112012201320142015Graph 2:In 2015, the Water Authority of Fiji has continued todevelop programmes and initiate projects for thebenefit of our customers, our staff, our depots and ourwater and wastewater treatment plants, and for ourfinances.Financial AchievementsIn 2015, the Authority improved upon its financialefficiency ratios due to the setting up of a designateddebt recovery team during the year. The Authorityachieved an average collection to bills ratio of 88% atthe end of 2015, compared to a ratio of 87% in 2014, andan average debt to bill ratio of 103% as at 31 December2015 compared to a ratio of 104% in 2014.PSIP Investments 2010 to 2015 ( million) 176.00 71.00 46.502010 40.30 34.10 39.9020112012201320142015wastewater infrastructure, that will now enable usto begin upgrading our systems to protect againstthe types of setbacks that resulted from the extremeweather event experienced in Suva in December 2014.The accounting system was upgraded from AccPaccversion 5.5 to Sage 300 ERP Version 6.2, during the year,the first such upgrade since 2010.Crisis management at emergencymeetingThe 2012 audited financial statements were signedduring the year.An emergency meeting of the Water Authority of Fiji(WAF) executive management and engineers tookplace early on Sunday morning, December 7th, whereGovernment was briefed on the collapse of the mainwastewater trunk line carrying all untreated wastefrom the greater Suva area to the Kinoya WastewaterTreatment Plant.The budget allocation of 239million reflected theWAF Master Plan that focuses the next 20 years, withthe primary objective of providing consistent, qualitywater and wastewater services, 24-hours a day, sevendays a week. This budget allocation made it possibleto work towards satisfying the needs, not only of ourcurrent customers, but also those of people living in themore rural areas of the country. It also made possibleupgrades of the current water distribution and storagesystems and the existing wastewater systems.Extreme weather impactsThe Authority is grateful for Government’s recognitionof the deteriorated state of the country’s water andEngineers worked all through the night of the 6th todesign a temporary solution after the pipe collapseas result of the storm that pounded Fiji December 5thand 6th with strong winds and driving rain, severelyimpacting the Suva water and wastewater trunk lines.Because of the storm, floodwaters may have caused thebreak in the pipe, with wastewater being dischargeddirectly into the Cunningham Creek at the Four MilesBridge and flowing in the Laucala Bay area.9

Water Authority of Fiji – 2015 Annual ReportA prompt response to the slips at Savura saw the WaterAuthority of Fiji team complete major repairs to thecollapsed Waimanu 600 and Headworks 3 trunk mainsin less than a week.The collapsed Waimanu 600 was identified duringroutine checks in the early afternoon on Saturday 6thDecember. Then, on Saturday night, a second slip tookout the Headworks 3, which is located higher up theslope, closer to the road.The Fiji Roads Authority and MWH Global wereconsulted to investigate structural solutions and the FijiElectricity Authority assisted by removing live, overheadwires at the work site so the repair work could begin.Because of the attendant health and environmentalimplications, WAF consulted the relevant Ministriesregarding the hazards through DISMAC and WAF’s lineMinistry.Savura slipsThe storm also caused a further disruption in theTamavua Water Treatment Plant, impacting some67,000 customers in Tamavua-i-Wai, Delainavesi, Lamiand Vesari to Togalevu when two major trunk linessupplying Tamavua Water Treatment Plant were washedaway in a landslide, decreasing water intake by 60%.Water carting was immediately implemented to assistthese customers.10Mobilisation began on Monday, clearing the site withthree excavators, bringing additional pipes from theWest to augment the stocks already in Suva. The actualmains repair began on Tuesday morning and, by workingaround the clock in shifts, repairs to Headworks 3 werecompleted by Wednesday afternoon.Working in rainy conditions with waterlogged, slipperyclay underfoot meant that from start to finish, safetywas at the forefront of the operation to repair the mainsand restore the supply of treated water to the greaterpart of Suva.Work on Waimanu 600 began on Thursday morning, bywhich time the support team had arrived from the West.The crews worked through the night, completing therepairs by Friday afternoon. Before the weekend wasover, there was sufficient water with enough pressureto restore normal supplies to all those who had beenaffected by the previously collapsed pipes.The prompt and appropriate responses to theseemergencies, combined with the unceasing and tirelessefforts of all concerned, is a testament to the quality ofthe people employed at WAF.

Water Authority of Fiji – 2015 Annual ReportProject Management UnitThe Project Management Unit is responsible for theimplementation of all major and minor capital projectsfunded by the Government of Fiji and partners, suchas the Asian Development Bank and is comprised ofCapital Work Projects, ADB Funded Projects, FloodRecovery Projects and Land Management Unit.With the allocation of 30.8 million for Water Distributionprojects, 98 percent of funds were committed tohydraulics upgrade and water coverage extension. TheWater Distribution projects funded by Governmentincluded Vatuyalewa Settlement Extension, RKS RawWater Main Replacement, Ramana Subdivision 100Mains Extension, Naililili Water Reticulation, NaboroDam Mains Replacement and Access Road, MoalaMains Relocation, Malake Island Pipe Laying Project,Labasa Hospital and Naodamu SPS, which combined,benefitted more than 800 people who received nowclean and reliable potable water.Capital worksCapital works also included the rural, non-meteredworks schemes. These are self-help schemes wherethe community is required to contribute one tenth ofthe cost, with the remaining nine tenths funded by theGovernment.WAF was allocated 59.1 million in 2015 to improve itswater distribution and wastewater systems. The mainobjectives were to reduce the intermittent water supplyto affected areas and provide an efficient and reliablewastewater system. The Water Distribution System wasallocated 30.8 million and 28.3 million for upgradingwastewater treatment plants and existing wastewaterdistribution systems.Projects completed successfully in 2015 included:The Water Distribution Projects with the allocation of 30.8 million covered intermittent areas, the AC PipesReplacement Programmes, and Trunk and DistributionMains Upgrading Works.The AC Pipes Replacement Programme included NasinuZone-Nasole ( 102,902), Alivereti Farm Road/Ram DuttFeeder Road AC Main Replacement ( 61,627), Voua toUluisila 200mm mPVC Pipelaying Works ( 277,302),Nawaicoba ( 225,112), Cuvu ( 96,823) and other urgentrequests.Trunk and Distribution Mains Upgrading Works includedWaimanu to Surge Tank ( 2.7million), Savura Bridge( 67,524), Cement Factory Bridge ( 58,390), WailadaBridge ( 53,371), Suvavou Bridge ( 13,489) and DogoruPressure tank To Benau reservoir ( 488,699). The mainaim under this programme was to replace the existingsmaller diameter mains to larger diameter mains to caterfor the increasing water demand in areas of concern.Water Intermittent Areas included Kalokalo Crescent( 138,947), Tokotoko Highway, Navua ( 195,883),Naitonitoni Mains Upgrading ( 42,549), Upgrading Mainat Belo Street ( 130,489), Kings Road Phase 3, 250 MainUpgrading ( 247,743) and Basoga 200 Mains Upgrading11

Water Authority of Fiji – 2015 Annual Report( 247,433). The main aim under this programme was toreduce water constraints faced by residents and supplya clean and reliable source of water.In 2015, work in the Northern Division included theupgrading of the Nabouwalu Headworks; the installationof the AVG plant at Taganikula, Nabouwalu; refurbishingthe Benau Reservoir and the relocation and extension ofthe water mains at Bulileka.In the Western Division, as part of the plannedpreventative maintenance work on the Nadi/Lautokabulk supply assets, rehabilitation work on existingsystems took place with new chambers and cementlids being constructed in-house. Sixty such lidswere constructed and installed as replacements tocounter the theft of cast-iron lids at the NagadoWater Treatment Plant, in Nadi and Lautoka. Another40 have been held in stock for future use over airvalves and washout chambers.to eliminating the need for frequent valve operations.This was achieved through the scour connectionand 1200mm duplication works at Vaturu Dam; theadditional water supply and process improvementat Nagado water Treatment Plant; the installation ofair valves to improve the hydraulics on the raw waterand treated water trunk mains; the elimination ofunwanted operations on the bulk supply system; theflow measurements and system flow balance betweenthe Nadi and Lautoka systems and the monthly pressuremonitoring and mains flushing programme.2015 Production LevelRegionTotal Production rn7,324.37Chambers and lids were also constructed for theOuter Islands1,235.60exposed inlet/outlet valves, master meters andTotal117,933.94altitude valves at the Nadele,Holika, Votualevu, BlackrockWATER ASSETS – to be updatedand Lolobalavu reservoirs.WaterCentral Eastern Western NorthernMajor repair works also tookplace at the inlets of the Vuda,VotualevuandMacomboreservoirs. Improvement inpressure in the system andthe filling and stabilising ofreservoir levels all contributed12Intakes12131722Treatment Plants861119Reservoir32243431Distribution Network777417/72-17/3914/23Water Pump Stations/Pumps

Water Authority of Fiji – 2015 Annual ReportIn the Central/Eastern Divisions, the Mains ExtensionProgramme saw the extension of the water main tothe new settlement of Delaidogo, the connectionof the Dokanaisuva Reticulation to the Colo-i-SuvaReticulation. Other communities that were linked tothe reticulation system as a result of this programmeincluded: Naisogo, Vunikawai and Uluibeka Nakoronivono, WailekutuLand UnitThe Land Unit attends to all land matters and enquiries,affecting both the Water and Wastewater Divisions,throughout the whole of Fiji.In 2015, the Unit successfully secured a three-year LeaseAgreement with freehold property owners on Taveuni.This provided a suitable location for the DesalinationTreatment Plant site. Ucuinamono, Veisari Vuninokonoko Back Road, Navua Tokatoka Highway, Navua.Improvements to existing assets included the installationof an electric submersible pump, that replaced thegenerator at Colo-i-Suva; the installation of a new, secondpump at Savura; the replacement of pumps one andtwo at Raralevu; the replacing of the defective 600mmvalve, Wainibuku Outlet; the replacement of the 150mmdefective sluice valve at the WTP New Sludge tank; theinstallation of 450mm line valve and a 300mm washoutat Vugalei, Lami; the replacement of the Qaraserau Bridgeand Pearl Bridge mains; the relocation of the 150mmmain under the Sawani Bridge walkway; the re-alignmentof the 150mm main at Sawani Bridge and the repair of600mm Bulk Main near Delainavesi Bridge.Wastewater ProjectsThe allocation to Wastewater Projects included 28.3million for the New Wastewater Reticulation System, theUpgrading of Existing Wastewater Treatment Plant andthe Upgrading of Existing Wastewater Reticulation.New Wastewater reticulation Projects completed in 2015included the Nabukalou Sewer Extension ( 1.6million),Mariko Sewer Extension ( 259,392), Sigatoka HospitalSewer Extension ( 1.17million) and Vatulaulau sewerextension ( 2.26million).The Upgrading of Existing Wastewater TreatmentPlant Project was allocated 4.2 million, which includedOdour control, Desludging and flow meter (Influent andEffluent Flows).Upgrading of Existing Wastewater Reticulation includedthe upgrading of existing wastewater mains and clearingOverall NRWSummary Tableof manholes. Projects such as Matana Street upgrade( 185,849), Painapiu Street upgrade ( 150,397), MaravuSettlement ( 1.8 million) and Sewer Relining Works( 10million) were successfully completed.Following preliminary inspections of the Waitavalasource on Taveuni, a series of consultations wereconducted with the freehold property owner, who gaveconsent to WAF for access to the water source. Theproperty owner’s crops were inspected so appropriatecompensation could be made.Consultations were held with the landowners fromNaduri Village, Nadroga, Navosa, for the Matovo PumpStation site. This led to the iTaukei Lands Trust Board’sOffer for Agreement for Lease.Non-Revenue Water and GISTowards the end of 2014, guided by the inspirationof the late Mr David Grinter, the Non-Revenue Water(NRW) and the Geographic Information Systems (GIS)Departments came together in the interests of improvedefficiency and effectiveness. This helped improvecommunication, collaboration and coordination of effort,with the combined NRW and GIS teams consisting of 43permanent staff and 472 project staff, nation-wide. Thesuccess of this move can be measured by the continuedreduction of non-revenue water in 2015.The following table shows the improvements eachquarter in NRW reduction, between the third quarter,2014 and the last quarter of 2015. This reduction of NRWhas been achieved through the efforts of the IntegratedMeter Management team, which replaced 26,000 ceasedand aged meters and the work of the Leak Detection Unitin the Central/Eastern, Northern and Western Regions toidentify invisible leaks, combined with the installation and3Q-2013 4Q-2013 IQ-2014 2Q-2014 3Q-2014 4Q-2014 1Q-2015

WaTEr aThOrITY OF FII 2015 aNNaL rEpOrT 5 1. NRW eduction r from 51% (2014) to 39.6% (2015). 2. Increase in the PSIP Government Funding from 71m (2014) to 176m (2015). 3. Reduction in intermittent supply areas from 67 to 22. 4. AC pipes replacement of approximately 122km length of pipe. 5. New mains pipe extension of 21.68km. 6.