Miya, a wholly owned subsidiary of Arison Investments, signed a $42.5M contract with the National Water Commission of Jamaica to maximize the efficiency of its water systems in the Kingston & Saint Andrew Area, it was announced today. LTR: Shai Goren, VP of regional business development Miya; Meir Wietchner, Chairman, Miya; Robert Pickersgill, The Honorable Minister of Land, Environment, Water and Climate Change, Jamaica; Prakash Vaswani, Chairman, the National Water Commission, Jamaica; David Arison, VP of global business relations, Miya; Amit Horman, CEO, Miya; Dr. Alwyn Hales, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Land, Environment, Water and Climate Change, Jamaica. (Credit: Miya) (PRNewsFoto/Miya)
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KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Miya, a
wholly owned subsidiary of Arison Investments, signed a $42.5M contract with the National Water Commission (NWC) of Jamaica to maximize the
efficiency of its water systems in the KSA (Kingston & Saint Andrew)
Area, it was announced today.
Project with National Water Commission of Jamaica is designed
to maximize efficiency of Kingston's water system. Daily savings of more
than 70 million liters of fresh water are expected within 5 years,
enough to supply water to additional 500,000 people.
The 5-year co-management project focuses on improving KSA's
water distribution system and substantially reducing non-revenue water
(NRW), currently estimated at 54%. Within five years, most of the
current NRW in the KSA-area systems will be saved, estimated in daily
savings of more than 70 million liters of fresh water.
Miya is already active in the Caribbean, running a mega
10-year project in the Bahamas. Starting in 2012, Miya returned the
water system to its continuous supply within two years, and cut NRW by
more than half. This culminates in savings of 16 million liters every
day, enabling water production to be reduced by almost 20%.
Meir Wietchner, Miya's Chairman: "This partnership sets an
example for the entire region on how important it is to manage our water
resources efficiently. A holistic solution, such as this, leads to
sustainable change that mutually benefits the utility and the citizens
it supplies."
The NWC supplies drinking water to about 600,000 residents in
KSA. One of the main targets of this unique co-management project is to
build professional NRW capacity within NWC, while increasing the system
efficiency. The project is fully funded by the Inter-American
Development Bank (IDB) and includes performance based fees, which will
be paid only if contract targets are achieved.
David Arison, Miya's Vice President of Global Business
Relations: "We hope and believe that the Miya-NWC project will be the
beginning of an extended partnership, and will serve as an exemplary
project for all the Parishes in Jamaica. Getting to know NWC's team, we
are certain that together we will achieve the level of commitment and
professionalism needed for a successful project. Executing this project
is practicing sustainability in its purest form. The results of this
project will benefit the environment, the financial position of NWC and
most importantly the citizens of KSA."
The project includes a comprehensive suite of water
efficiency solutions, incorporating strategic and financial planning,
based on efficiency audits of NRW. This will be followed by a water
infrastructure improvement phase devised specifically for the area,
including the monitoring of water pressure, locating leaks, repairing or
replacing selective pipes, and ultimately (after 5 years) handing over
responsibility to NWC staff, who will continue to maintain high levels
of system efficiency for the long-run.
Amit Horman, Miya's CEO: "Miya believes in the Caribbean
market and continues to expand its operation in the territory. Our
success in The Bahamas opens the eyes of other governments and water
utilities in the region, with respect to the hidden value of water
efficiency. We will keep striving for excellence in the planning and
execution of such projects."
In cooperation with the Jamaican government and NWC, Miya is
planning to involve the local community in water conservation education
programs, equipping people with tools such as a new Smartphone
application that improves the connection between citizens and the water
authority.