Lead Idea

In Targoviste, Romania, both the pumping technology and the computing system for water supply were seriously outdated. Energy costs for water distribution were far from adequate and more than half the water never reached its destination. Based on an information campaign and extensive advance calculations the water board prepared a concept in cooperation with the town hall, the media, and residents. With government and university support it was able to prove that long-term savings would more than compensate the necessary investments.

Situation before the initiative began

Drinking water in Targoviste has to undergo three pumping levels before it reaches the consumer. At each of these levels part of the valuable water is lost through leaky valves, excessive pressure, etc. In the end, what arrives only does so with excessive amounts of energy. The situation was aggravated by the ownership structure. More than three quarters of consumers live in apartment blocks jointly owned by the municipality and private persons. Water consumption was calculated not per apartment but via a community meter. Thus, nobody felt responsible for water consumption or for paying the water bills in time.

Methods

The local water board set out to install new pressure valves to the pumping system for better control of the water flow. They were supported in this by the polytechnic university of Bucharest and the federal water board. The technical university developed a new valve technology, which the Rumanian government then applied to have patented internationally.
The local media strongly supported the installation of water meters in the apartments. Residents who were slightly suspicious to begin with, soon realized the economic advantages of individual clearing. The water board financed the water meters with a kind of "leasing" system and negotiated a contract to ensure that water bills were paid on time. Recently, a magnetic card system was introduced for additional monitoring. It is currently being tested on 50 meters. The European Investment Bank has granted a loan to support the technical modification works which are still ongoing.

Implementation

With the adapted pumps savings of 40% of the energy costs were achieved and the annual water loss dropped from more than 14 million m³ in 1997 to less than 4.5 million m³ in 1999. No sacrifices had to be made to reduce per capita consumption by half to 14.7 million m³ in 1999. Thus water bills were reduced significantly too.

Experiences/transfer

Targoviste has joined the US Agency for International Development Municipal Utilities Development II programme together with nine other Romanian cities (Arad, Bacau, Bistrita, Botosani, Braila, Cluj, Constanta, Focsani and Oradea). These cities have formed the Autonomous Regia of Public Utilities to promote the exchange of economic and technical experiences. The aim of the Local Government Assistance Project is to speed up the country's accession to the European Union. Regia is also supported by the European Union's PHARE fund.
The cities of Focsani, Bistrita and Oradea in particular are showing a keen interest in the state-of-the-art water pumping control system.

Water Supply Strategy for the Municipality of Targoviste in the UN HABITAT database