Approximately 25,000 of the 100,000 residential meters have been installed under the Barbados Water Authority???s Smart Water Meter Business Transformation Project.
This disclosure came yesterday from Minister of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and Water Resource Management, Dr. David Estwick, during the launch of the project at Courtyard by Marriott.
Dr. Estwick said over 4,000 commercial meters would also be installed and these new metres would have a significant impact on the bottom line of the Authority.
He continued: ???We have had many challenges in regards to being able to provide the level of service to Barbadians because of challenges with our non-revenue water and challenges with an ageing infrastructure that required urgent attention.
???Critically for us, this, project helps us to resolve one of the areas of non-revenue water and that particular area is that we have a large number of analogue meters that are dysfunctional. The introduction of this new technology, utilising the smart meter approach ??? will help us to tremendously resolve that issue.
Cowater International Inc., in association with Sogema Technologies Inc. and supported by the Canadian Commercial Corporation and Export Development Canada (EDC), has been selected to manage the BWA???s Smart Business Transformation Programme.
This project, which spans three years, is expected to modernise and transform the BWA, thus ensuring better customer service, improved water conservation and an efficient BWA.
A press release from Cowater explained that using data from these meters, the business processes and management information systems (MIS) provided by Cowater would enable the BWA to more accurately capture and maintain information on its customers and their water consumption, thereby ensuring accurate and complete billing and increasing consumer confidence in the BWA.
???The new MIS will also lead to more timely resolution of customer service requests through a modernised work order management system and more accurate financial reporting through the development and rollout of a new financial information system,??? it said.
sharon.austingill-moore@barbados.gov.bb