Asasa, sagure, &

Dodola field report

presentation
Introduction
• We began our work by making a kick of meeting with all the
management team of the utility
• The field monitoring team first started by introducing the purpose
of the water development fund for field work and explaining the
required information/checklist
• Then, according to our expertise, we engaged in the different
departments of the utility and started finding out the general level
of service they have, the financial status, customer handling,
institutional capacity, status and condition of their scheme in
functioning its purpose
 Preparation of check list for each expertise

Desk discussion about required information

and check list

Methodology
Meeting/discussions with management staffs
of the utility to collect required data through
interviews, inspection of reports, records

Site visit/observation to find out technical

issues
Sagure System
description in detail
Sagure Town Water Supply
and Sanitation Utility

• Town: Sagure Town Utility

• Agreement signed year: 24/05/2018
• Loan Amount: 76,486,519.58
• Source of Finance: AFD + AICS +EIB + Gov.t
• Beneficiary Population: 29,137
• Collected loan amount: not amortized
 The composition of the board is inclusive
of almost all stakeholders from both
towns including the community and youth
and women associations

Board Board contact time is in a quarterly basis

According to the ranking of water services

in the region, Sagure water utility is level
 The organizational staffing structure allows
58 staff in different positions but currently,
the total staffs number is 28

The utility is included together with Assela

Staffing town water utility and responsible for Assela
town water utility

Since those two entities have become one

entity, major decisions regarding budget
allocation, planning, and financial activities
are decided by the board and Assela town
water utility
Customers
• The total population in the town is more than 50,000
• The utility has 3500 customers including residential
areas, institutions, commercial centers, and public
service connections
Tariff
• The utility has a tariff range from 14.50birr/m3 to
24.40birr/m
 The billing system is managed by software and the name of the
software is DAFTECH software

The software is used to generate bill, to manage finance and is

generally used as a database

The billing system relates to the bank system

Billing Customers make payments to the bank

System The average amount of water sold per month was 50,000
m3/month

The total bill sold/month including all customers category,

service charge, and penalty is about 758,527.68 birr/month

Finally, the utility has a customer service department, any

complaint related to the service is handled by this department

The source of the scheme is spring source having a safe yield of

50l/s
 Since the system fully comes to service
by August 2015, the production
capacity of the new system for the past
three months was 178,125 m3/3month

Billing By 2015, the annual production capacity

of the old system was 300,000m3/year
System

These springs are found 7km far from

the town
Source

• The source of the scheme is spring source having a safe yield of 50l/s. In addition to this,
there are also three existing springs, having a total capacity of 12l/s, but it is not connected
with the new system.
• Since the system fully comes to service by August 2015, the production capacity of the new
system for the past three months was 178,125 m3. The yearly production plan is 930,000 m3.
• By 2015, the annual production capacity of the old system was 300,000m3/year. But now,
only, the three-month water production of the new system has become more than 178,000
m3. Which is almost more than half of the previous year total production. Therefore, the new
system has increased the production capacity of the utility by 2.5-fold.
• These springs are found at 7km far from the town (service reservoir).
Reservoir
• There is a 100 m3 wet well near the spring, from where
water is pumped to 1000 m3 new reservoir which is
about 7km far from the source site
• The bottom edge of reservoir has leakage all round
• There is also a chlorine dozing room constructed at the
side of the reservoir
Transmission Line
• From the new spring source about 7km of HDPE
transmission line is laid
• The pipe size of the transmission is 315mm
• The transmission line crosses five kebeles before
entering 1000m3 service reservoirs
• In general, production and transmission of water is
working perfectly
Distribution Line
• When we come to the distribution system, about 30km of different size
distribution pipes are laid on the new system
• Newly laid distribution pipes are connected with the old system and
working perfectly; except, some pipes both from the old and the new
system got burst and the utility has managed it well
• The town is relatively flat in topography, the pipes are interconnected
• No head problem encountered to date
• There are 8 new PFs constructed in the town
• There is no illegal connection
• By 2015 NRW of the utility was 15%
• The utility has no leakage detection mechanism
• Coverage, after the construction of the new system, has become 24/
• Access to water in the town is more than 90%
 Years Revenue from Revenue from Total revenue
water sales other source
2015 3,314,410 - 3, 314,410
million Birr million Birr

2016 Up to 1st quarter - Up to 1st

4,500,000 quarter
million Birr 4,500,000
million Birr
Financial analysis Years Personnel & Operation Power Others Chemicals Total
related and consumption Expense expenses expenditure
expenses Maintenance expenses
expenses
2015 3,119,514
- - - -
- million Birr
2016 Up to 1st
quarter
- - - - -
2,500,000
million Birr
Major challenges of
the utility
• They said the surge tank at the wet well does not show reading at all
• Leakage around valve chambers, the system, in general, was not well
fixed and as a result leakage has been encountered but it is still not
beyond the capacity of the utility
• Water level sensors are not fixed both in the wet well and reservoirs
• We have noticed a leakage on different places around the bottom of the
service reservoir
• At the new, 1000 m3 reservoir, the chlorine dozing system is installed
but it is not working
• The contractor did not provide the final as built drawing
• The utility has no vehicle but has 1-motor bi-cycle but they need vehicle
to deliver efficient service
Continued…
• The last but not the list is non-fulfilment of office
equipment; like chairs, tables, computers and printers
Asasa System
description in detail
Asasa Town Water Supply
and Sanitation Utility

• Town: Asasa Town Utility

• Agreement signed year: 23/07/2015
• Loan Amount: 140,722,633.64
• Source of Finance: CWA + Gov't
• Beneficiary Population: 38,868
• Collected loan amount: 0
• Loan installment uncollected period : 1
 The composition of the board is inclusive
of almost all stakeholders from both
towns including the community and youth
and women associations

Board Board contact time is in a quarterly basis

According to the ranking of water services

in the region, Asasa water utility is level
Staffing
• The organizational staffing structure allows more than
120 staffs at different positions for both Asasa and
Dodola but currently, the total staffs number is 54 at
Asasa Water Utility.

• The utility is managed by the utility manager and it is

responsible to report to the board which is newly
established to manage both Asasa and Dodola towns.
Tariff
• The utility has tariff range from 17birr/m3 to 44birr/m
Billing System
• The billing system is managed by software and the name of the
software is DAFTECH software
• The software uses to generate bill, to manage finance and generally
used as a database but Software user had complaint on the
software
• The billing system is not connected with the bank system
• The average amount of water sold per month was 47,826
m3/month
• The total bill sold/month including all customers category, service
charge, and penalty is about 1.8M birr
• The utility has customer service department, any complaint related
to the service is handled by this department
• Generally, the utility has to work well on customer handling
mechanism, bill collection mechanism, and Aquent themselves on
modern days billing system software
source

• The source of the scheme is spring source having a safe yield of more than 800l/s. the spring
is determined to serve both Asasa and Dodola town.

• Since the system fully comes to service by August 2014, the production capacity of the new
system is more than 103,000 m3/month for both towns. But currently, on average, the
monthly production rate of Asasa is around 50,000 m3.

• The spring has very high production capacity. The town has no shortage of water.

• These springs are found at the middle of the town.

Reservoir
• There is 2500 m3 RC reservoir constructed 4km away
from the town, from where water is released by gravity
system to the town
• The chlorination room is constructed on top of the
reservoir and the dozing system is installed but the
pump is not supplied
Transmission Line
• From the spring source about 4km of DCI, 450mm
transmission pipe is laid to the service reservoir
• The transmission line crosses different kebeles and
farming land before entering to 1000m3 service
reservoirs
• In general, production and transmission of water is
working perfectly
 Distribution Line
• When we come to the distribution system, about 78km of different size
distribution pipes are laid on the new system
• The town is partially flat and rugged in topography, the pipes are
interconnected
• No head problem encountered to date
• There are 24 new PFs constructed in the town and some rural villages
• There is no illegal connection
• NRW of the utility estimated to be 27%
• The utility has no leakage detection mechanism
• Coverage has become 24/
• Access to water in the town is more than 90%
 Years Revenue from water Revenue Total revenue
sales from other
source

2015 20,500,000 million Birr - 20,500,000 million Birr

2016 Up to 1st quarter - Up to 1st quarter

5,602,118.73 million Birr 5,602,118.73 million Birr
Financial analysis
Year Personnel Operation Power Others Chemicals Total
s & related and consumptio Expense expenses expenditur
expenses Maintenanc n expenses e
e expenses
201 12,000,00
- - - -
5 - 0 million
201 Up to 1st
6 - - - - - quarter
3,000,000
 Major challenges of the
utility
• At the pumping stations, the anchor blocks are suspended/or
not fixed with the bottom slab and due to this, the gaskets
between those heavy-duty DCI pipes are leaving their places
and the pipes are displacing a bit from their joints as a result of
high pressure from back water flow
• Leakage around valve chambers, in the system, in general, was
not well fixed and as a result leakage has encountered almost
in all the system
• The pipes in the system are not well installed/welded
• 2500 m3 reservoir, the chlorine dozing system is installed but it
is not working
• The contractor did not provide the final as built drawing
• They said administering both towns with one vehicle is very
difficult, therefore, they need additional vehicle
Continued..
• The last but not the list is non-fulfilment of office
equipment; like chairs, tables, computers and printers
Dodola System
description in detail
Dodola Town Water Supply
and Sanitation Utility

• Town: Dodola Town Utility

• Agreement Signed Year: 4/5/2017
• Loan Amount: 86,458,801.31
• Source of Finance: AFD + AICS +EIB + Gov.t
• Beneficiary Population: 39,174
• Collected loan amount: not amortized
 The composition of the board is inclusive
of almost all stakeholders from both
towns including the community and youth
and women associations

Board Board contact time is in a quarterly basis

According to the ranking of water services

in the region, the town’s water utility is
level
Customers

The utility has 9,500

The total number of
numbers of customers
populations in the town
including residential
is more than 150,000
areas, institutions,
including the rural
commercial centers, and
kebeles
public taps
Tariff
• The utility has tariff range from 17birr/m3 to 44birr/m
Billing System
• The billing system is managed by software and the name of the
software is DAFTECH software
• The software uses to generate bill, to manage finance and
generally used as a database but Software user had complaint
on the software
• The billing system is not connected with the bank system
• The average amount of water sold per month was 55,174
m3/month
• The total bill sold/month including all customers category,
service charge, and penalty is about 2.6M birr
• The utility has customer service department, any complaint
related to the service is handled by this department
• Generally, the utility has to work well on customer handling
mechanism, bill collection mechanism, and Aquent themselves
on modern days billing system software
 The source of the scheme is spring source having
a safe yield of more than 800l/s

Since the system fully comes to service by August

2015, the production capacity of the new system
is more than 103,000 m3/month for both towns

Source
The spring has very high production capacity

The spring is found at Asasa town which 21km far

from Dodola
Reservoir
• There is 2500 m3 RC reservoir constructed at the vicinity
of the town, from where water is released by gravity
system to the town
• The chlorination room is constructed on top of the
reservoir and the dozing system is not supplied and
installed yet
Transmission Line
• From the spring source about 21km of DCI,
400mm transmission pipe is laid to the service
reservoir
• The transmission line crosses 5 kebeles and
farming land before entering to 2500m3 service
reservoirs
• Along the transmission line there is booster station
that helps to boost the pressure required in
transferring the water from the spring to the
service reservoir
• In general, production and transmission of water is
working perfectly
Distribution Line
• When we come to the distribution system, about 60km
of different size distribution pipes are laid on the new
system
• The town is relatively flat in topography, the pipes are
interconnected
• No head problem encountered to date
• There are 14 new PFs constructed in the town and some
rural villages
• There is no illegal connection
• NRW of the utility estimated to be 30%
• The utility has no leakage detection mechanism
• Coverage has become 24/
• Access to water in the town is more than 90%
 Years Revenue from Revenue from Total revenue
water sales other source
2015 Estimated - Estimated
15,500,000 15,000,000
million million
2016 Up 1st quarter - Up 1st quarter
6,734,262 million 6,734,262
million

Financial analysis
Year Personnel & Operation Power Others Chemicals Total
s related and consumption Expense expenses expenditure
expenses Maintenanc expenses
e expenses

201 Estimated
5 - - - - 12,000,00
- 0 million
201 Up 1st
6 quarter
- - - - - 6,001,362
million
Major challenges of the
utility
• At the pumping stations, the anchor blocks are
suspended/or not fixed with the bottom slab and due to
this, the gaskets between those heavy-duty DCI pipes
are leaving their places and the pipes are displacing a
bit from their joints as a result of high pressure from
back water flow
• Leakage around valve chambers, in the system, in
general, was not well fixed and as a result leakage has
encountered almost in all the system
• The pipes in the system are not well installed/welded
• 2500 m3 reservoir, the chlorine dozing system is
installed but it is not working
• The contractor did not provide the final as built drawing
Strength and
weakness of the
utilities
Strength
• All the utilities have all inclusive board members including
youth and women
• All the utilities have created good operation and maintenance
crew that can solve any difficulty in the system
• All the utilities have both annual physical and financial plan
• All the utilities have good organizational set up filled with
professionals who have served the utility for long time
• Sagure town utility has strong commitment to pay the loan
• All the utilities have information about the history of the project
• The monthly operating income of all the utilities, we visited, is
positive
• The utilities working capital is also good
• They all have plan on creating additional revenue other than
water sell
Weakness
• They have weak document handling mechanism,
especially Asasa and Dodola
• Lack of commitment to pay the loan, especially
Asasa and Dodola
• Exaggeration of minor problems
• They don’t have well established office equipment
• They don’t have well documented as built drawing
and system layout that can help anyone to
understand the whereabout of major and minor
components
• The utilities did not start thinking on generation of
income out of sanitation service
Conclusion and
Recommendation
• Since the heads of the city's water and sewage
service organizations are changing and there is a
problem of operational transparency, we
recommend the awareness creation and
monitoring work is strengthened persistently
• If there is a regular discussion forum to solve the
problem of operation and transparency with water
service organizations that use loans, there are
projects under construction, those that are
preparing to return online, those that repay loans
properly, and water and sewage service
organizations that do not repay loans properly
Photography
Utility office at Sagure
Asasa and Dodola pmp satation
Pressure pipe offset at pmp station
Pmp station @ Asasa
Chemical Dozing Room @Sagure