The Smart Water Networks Forum (SWAN) has announced its most recent partnership with WaterLinks, an international non-profit organisation dedicated to linking water operators throughout Asia. SWAN and WaterLinks are partnering to promote the accessibility of smart, data-driven solutions for water and wastewater networks across South-East Asia and in the Asia-Pacific region.
Based in the Philippines, WaterLinks’ programmes focus on water quality and water demand management, non-revenue water reduction, and climate change adaptation – all factors that severely impact the efficiency and effectiveness of water utilities’ operations.
One of WaterLinks’ major programmes is the Water Operator Partnerships (WOPs) which facilitates peer-to-peer relationships and collaborative exchanges between utilities in developing countries and regional players that have developed integrated water networks.
Several of SWAN’s innovative utility Members in the Asia-Pacific Alliance have participated in such interactive exchanges.
“Technology plays a key role in increasing the resilience of the water sector, and a partnership between SWAN and WaterLinks is a great step towards this,” said Rita Narangala, Manager – Improvement, Network Intelligence at Yarra Valley Water in Melbourne and a Member of the SWAN Utility Advisory Group.
SWAN’s Executive Director, Amir Cahn remarked, “We look forward to this exciting partnership that will help catalyse innovative technologies to improve the accessibility and availability of clean water and sanitation in the region.”
The Executive Director of WaterLinks, Mai Flor added, “Asia’s water utilities need to expand their use of digital technology to deliver high quality services to industrial and domestic consumers. WaterLinks is delighted to partner with SWAN to make this happen sooner than later.”
