NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Most Caribbean islands share the same unique challenges with regard to providing pure and healthy potable water for their inhabitants. It’s a challenge that has also been experienced locally. Over the past nine years, however, Miya Bahamas has worked to dramatically improve the water supply on the island of New Providence.
With funding from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the company set out to reduce non-revenue water losses, addressing a variety of issues from leaks to poor water pressure and water quality. The strategy, now in its 10th year, has garnered the company widespread accolades from the government of The Bahamas and its IDB partners. It has also attracted the attention of regional organizations dedicated to the work of water conservation and protection as well, the most recent being the Caribbean Desalination Association (CaribDA), a non-profit organization representing members/sponsors from the Caribbean desalination and water reuse communities, utilities, industries, academia and government.
Since MIYA began its work in collaboration with the Water & Sewerage Corporation (WSC) more than nine years ago, the company has virtually reversed the issue of non-revenue water (NRW).
According to Mario Tavera, MIYA´s project manager in The Bahamas, 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.
On June 24, MIYA will join CaribDA and other regional entities to participate in an annual conference and expo — an event designed to encourage communication and liaisons with other water treatment associations in the region. The conference, which will take on a virtual format for the first time in its history, will provide stakeholders an opportunity to share experiences, information, operational data, technical standards and other resources while working together to improve the quality and quantity of potable water and lower the costs of production through application of desalination technology and water reuse in the Caribbean.
“CaribDA’s mandate falls in line with the efforts that MIYA Bahamas has undertaken for nearly a decade,” explained Tavera, who has been tapped as one of this year’s presenters.
During a special workshop session to be led by the MIYA team, conference participants will gain insights into the ways the company has been able to maintain its effectiveness during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Since the very start of our work, MIYA has focused on the implementation of a strategic plan that used cutting-edge technology and a highly trained workforce to ensure we meet our goals,” Tavera noted.
Those goals have been achieved by the implementation of several actions such as pressure and data management; active leak detection; and the replacement and upgrade of thousands of faulty, illegal and dormant connections — a move that had an almost immediate impact on the efficiency of the water supply and led to reductions in non-revenue water by as much as 71 percent.
While the company is preparing to wrap up its 10-year project in The Bahamas, Tavera said he is confident the country will continue to reap the benefits of a more efficient water system.
“We are very proud of the work we’ve done in collaboration with the IDB and The Water & Sewerage Corporation in Nassau and we’re excited to share the insights we gained with the wider water conservation community.”
Loading ...
