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Water Operators Partnership Program
Formation of Water Utilities Networks
The Water Operators Partnership (WOPs) program works to enable water utilities to improve service coverage and delivery, financial sustainability, and other aspects of their performance. One of the WOPs program’s strategies is the formation of regional water utilities networks. |
More about the WOPs Program
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Water Utilities Networks promote alliances, knowledge exchange, and capacity development among member water utilities. They also anchor all WOPs activities designed to improve the operational and financial efficiency of members. These networks’ organizational structure has three tiers
- A steering committee or governing board, comprising elected representatives from utilities of each of the participating countries, that is responsible for setting the network's policies, plans, and monitoring results
- A secretariat, headed by an Executive Director and based in a host utility, that oversees for the daily operations of the network
- Member utilities, comprising public or private water and/or wastewater utilities, national water and wastewater associations, and small scale service providers.
Each network serves as a platform for the major initiatives of WOPs: continuous improvement and benchmarking, twinning with expert utilities, and training workshops for capacity development. They also implement their respective business plans and mobilize resources for their specific needs.
TopCurrently, there are three Water Utility Networks actively implementing their programs
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South East Asian Water Utilities Network (SEAWUN) SEAWUN was established in August 2002 prior to WOPs but its programs are now implemented with WOPs support. It has 78 member utilities. |
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South Asian Water Utilities Network (SAWUN) SAWUN was established in April 2007, with 23 members coming from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. |
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Central Asia and South Caucasus Water Utilities Association(CASCWUA) Established in November 2007, CACSWUA has 13 members from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. |
Alan Baird
Water Supply and Sanitation Specialist, ADB
Email: abaird@adb.org