BergerWorld: 4th Quarter 2004

In the face of a rapidly growing population of 10.3 million, government officials in Manila, the Philippines' capital and major commercial center, privatized the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewage System (MWSS) to allow two private concessionaires, Manila Water Company and the Maynilad Water Services, to operate and upgrade existing services in Metro Manila under a 25-year concession agreement. Following privatization, the MWSS Regulatory Office saw the need for a systematic framework to strengthen its capability for monitoring the performance of the concessionaires and selected the Berger Group and Renardet S.A. to develop a pilot public performance assessment (PPA) system. The PPA, funded by the World Bank, established a set of independent performance indicators and evaluation criteria and developed a practical methodology to conduct qualitative and quantitative assessments of the concessionaires' performance for public disclosure, including network, water quality, service, health quality and overall coverage.

To ensure that the consumers in the concession service areas have access to safe drinking water, the Team conducted a comprehensive assessment of the concessionaire's reported bacteriological water quality data and total coliform count from approximately 1,200 water sampling points collected to establish a water quality baseline two years after privatization. Data analysis revealed the water quality in Manila has improved since privatization with only four percent of the 20,756 water samples recording contamination and only four percent recording residual chlorine concentrations below national standards.

Although not part of the public performance assessment, Berger also evaluated epidemiological data provided by the government's Regional Health Office to assess water quality and developed GIS-based graphic displays of epidemiological and water quality data to identify potential links between fecal contamination of drinking water and the incidence of cholera and typhoid fever, the two most common water-borne diseases in Manila.

Following the initial survey in four test barangays, the PPA Project Team recommended improvements in the current guidelines and procedures for water sampling and field testing, based on joint water sampling experiences with MWSS Regulatory Office personnel, concessionaires and the Department of Health at 711 water sampling points in the concession areas. These recommendations were incorporated into the revised MWSS procedural manual on water sampling for microbiological examination which is used by the concessionaires.

Through the innovative USAID-funded Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program, Berger is also developing 33 water supply systems to provide potable water to over 100,000 residents in conflict-affected areas of Mindanao. Water supply systems are the most complex type of rural infrastructure projects to operate and maintain, and community involvement is essential for success. To encourage community "buy-in," GEM worked with project stakeholders to design water supply projects and encourage local contributions in the form of site donation, right-of-way access and local labor. Berger then developed long-term, affordable fee structures to operate the water system and assisted in the creation of "water committees" responsible for maintenance and operations, fee collection and water quality monitoring. These new water systems have improved community health by reducing rates of water-borne diseases and eliminating the need to haul water from often distant springs.