The municipality of E. B. Magalona has signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation Inc. (AIDFI), a Bacolod-based nongovernment organization for a comprehensive water management program.
Mayor Marvin Malacon and AIDFI co-founder and chief executive officer Auke Idzenga, a Dutch marine engineer now based in the Philippines, signed the MOA at the Mayor’s Office March 6.
Under the agreement, AIDFI shall assist the E. B. Magalona Waterworks Office (EBMWO) in developing a comprehensive and holistic program for the management of non-water revenue (NRW), that will be funded by the Coca-Cola Foundation.
Water districts and waterworks offices experience substantial operational losses in the form of NRW. If properly managed and reduced, these NRW could translate to better water services for more consumers and additional revenues for the water districts and waterworks offices, the EBM Public Information Office said in a press release March 10.
Through this comprehensive NRW Management Plan, EBMWO could properly manage and minimize its NRW losses, which can lead to improved services for its consumers.
The program involves a two-year study, starting with the municipal government sending at least four employees of EBMWO to a training-workshop at the Maynilad Water Academy.
The EBMWO representatives will act as a dedicated team that will collaborate with AIDFI, for the entire two-year study, starting from the training up to the development of a NRW Management Plan.
Specifically, the EBMWO representatives will assist AIDFI and Maynilad Water Academy personnel during the conduct of scanning and survey of the water distribution system, household survey, leak detection, flow measuring, and other related activities.
AIDFI, the foundation behind the pioneering hydraulic ram pump, focuses on helping rural communities through technological innovation, social enterprising, and community development.
Coca-Cola Foundation has partnered with AIDFI to collaborate with five select waterworks offices in Negros Occidental for the development of a NRW Management Plan, which it will fund.
In its commitment to helping ensure water sufficiency and safety for future generations, Coca-Cola Foundation has already embarked on programs, such as the Agos Project, which provides water to upland communities with little to no access to potable water.
Meanwhile, signing as witnesses to the MOA were AIDFI project consultant Raffy Butch Bacaoco and EBMWO head, Engr. Frenie Torrechiva.
Joining the meeting were AIDFI chief operating officer Che Idzenga and municipal consultant on Mechanical Engineering Works, Engr. Jessil Plaza-Casilagan. ||
