International Water Utilities Consortium set for inaugural edition
The Abu Dhabi Water Transmission Company and UMS Group are launching the inaugural edition of their International Water Utilities Consortium – a global learning consortia that will support global water utilities in optimising strategic, operational & technical performance through targeted insight and the collective power of collaboration.
The International Water Utilities Consortium (iWUC) concept and program development was initiated two years ago with the aim of helping the sector address major industry challenges including water scarcity, sustainability, aging infrastructure and the associated rising capital investment and operational costs, mounting national and international regulatory requirements, innovations application and integration, and an increasing need for ecosystem partnerships.
Under the premise that such challenges can be tackled more effectively and efficiently through knowledge sharing and “learning curve facilitation”, the organisers have opened up the platform to water utilities from all corners of the globe. “Water utilities face common challenges, and therefore players can learn from each other,” explained Indy Chakrabarti, Director UMS Group in the UK and Program Director of iWUC.
With the aim of facilitating strategic and operational excellence, the program helps participating water utilities gain insight in where they currently stand (by benchmarking their own performance), and then with bridging the gap to industry excellence standards through knowledge transfer activities via workshops, roundtables, webinars and specific focus groups.
“The process is backed by a proven methodology, data analytics that fuels process improvement and better asset utilisation, and tooling that allows for continuous monitoring and improvement,” said Chakrabarti. Meanwhile, the peer group also supports members with innovation, including how to apply and scale emerging technologies, leveraging practical experiences to improve efficiency, resilience and service level effectiveness.
The iWUC program is currently securing membership for the first cycle, and hopes for representation from water utilities across the Gulf region, Australia & New Zealand, Asia Pacific, Europe and the United States.
The duration is expected to be around 10-12 weeks on commencement of data collection, and promises to help participants advance on their mission of “providing a high quality, safe, and sustainable water supply” to users around the world.