NASSAU, BAHAMAS — MIYA Bahamas Project Manager Mario Tavera marked World Water Day as a recent guest speaker at the weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of New Providence (RNCP).
Tavera, who is recognized as a local authority on water quality and accessibility in New Providence, led the team that executed a nearly decade-long strategy funded by the Inter-American Development Bank.
“Rotary International has a well-documented history of pushing the message of water conservation, so I’m glad to be have been invited to share details on the work that Miya Bahamas has been doing,” he said.
On March 22, stakeholders marked the annual observance of World Water Day and this year’s campaign to raise awareness about the need to protect groundwater resources.
“Though out of sight, groundwater plays an important role in the climate change adaptation process and is often a solution for people without access to safe water,” he said.
The hybrid Rotary luncheon featured a virtual presentation chronicling the company’s non-revenue water (NRW) project.
“Non-revenue water levels are determined by how much revenue is lost to the WSC due to water loss brought on by leaks and other shortfalls,” explained Tavera.
Technology upgrades and new protocols implemented by MIYA had a near-immediate impact on water efficiency across the island, reducing NRW levels by as much as 71 percent and simultaneously increasing revenue water intake significantly over the life of the project to date.
“Once we had completed our initial assessments, we went ahead and implemented proactive leak detection strategies,” Tavera said.
“With the help of rapid repair protocols, to pressure zones and district metered areas, to the design and implementation and a series of system optimizations that included the use of GIS updating as well as the introduction of data management hardware and software.”
For the Rotarians of the RCNP, the invitation extended to Miya Bahamas was in line with the organiztion’s mandate to support activities that provide access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation here at home and across the world.
“We were delighted to have Mr. Mario Tavera as a guest speaker, and to inform of the major project undertaken by Miya Bahamas in collaboration with the Water and Sewerage Corporation,” said club President Lisa Deveaux.
“Mr. Tavera’s presentation was insightful, timely, and attendees learned a lot not only about the project but water and sanitation on the whole” she continued.
Tavera was also able to offer Rotarians some insights into the future of the ongoing project.
“We are especially proud of the investment we have made in training members of our team. That training has been critical to ensuring that this critical work can continue well into the future,” he said.
In the interim, Tavera says the company will continue to meet its commitments to the WSC and the government and work to maintain the standard which has been set.
