Blue deal Wastewater recently organised an intensive one-week training on Asset Management and Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant (FSTP) Design Evaluation, aimed at strengthening the capabilities of three water utilities in Ethiopia: Adama, Shashemene, and Awassa.
Fostering skill and collaboration
During the week, participants worked on practical solutions for better managing water infrastructure, improving operational efficiency, and ensuring more sustainable water services. The training proved to be highly valuable, boosting the participants’ skills and fostering stronger collaboration among the utilities.
New collaborations on the horizon
The workshop also saw the participation of officials from the Ministry of Water and Energy, as well as the Ethiopian Urban Water & Sanitation Federation. Their involvement has led to the potential creation of a new partnership between the Federation and World Waternet, which will improve waste management in Ethiopia’s water utilities.
Once we formalise this future partnership, it will mark a significant step forward in the shared goal of building capacity, sharing knowledge, and promoting sustainable water and sanitation practices across the country. By working together, the Federation and World Waternet will aim to establish a platform for the utilities to collaborate more effectively, laying the groundwork for long-term success in the sector.
Data driven water management
One of the highlights of the workshop was Blue Deal’s donated a Hach Compact Wastewater Testing Kit to the Adama Water Supply and Sewerage Utility. This portable, easy-to-use kit will help Adama conduct important wastewater quality tests at the Adama Wetland. Shashemene water utility is already using the compact monitoring kit also donated by Blue Deal. By providing this tool, Blue deal is helping the utility make data-driven decisions, ensuring they meet environmental standards, and improving the efficiency and sustainability of wastewater management in Adama.
Tracking assets using mWater
Asset management is a big part of the Blue Deal Wastewater project. And using UNICEF’s open-source tool has been a focus of our trainings and implementation. This visit, the mWAter training programme continued with Ethiopian water utilities of Adama, Shashemene, and Hawassa. To mark the progress, we held a small ceremony, and awarded the Adama Water Utility with the Encouragement Prize for their significant progress in asset registration and improved data quality.
This achievement marks another important step forward in strengthening the operational management of wastewater facilities.
