Lodwar Water and Sanitation Company (LOWASCO) has received a major boost following a partnership with Safaricom on the adoption of smart technology for water metering in Lodwar.
The Board Chair to LOWASCO, who is also the CECM for Water Services, Faith Aletea, says, “The smart technology will enable detection of water loss through leakages, data generation for decision-making and monitoring of consumption patterns.”
Speaking during the partnership meeting, Chair Aletea confirmed receipt of complaints from LOWASCO clients on meter readings and subsequent bills.
She said the adoption of the technology would provide a permanent solution to the challenge.
CECM added the technology was part of a planned process for the realization of the recently launched 25-year Water Master Plan for the Lodwar Municipality.
On his part, the Technical Lead for Safaricom, Austine Onyango, said the organization had entered into the water sector to support Counties and National Governments to digitize the water management process and promote water conservation.
Onyango further said that Safaricom’s entry into the water sector was necessitated aftermarket and technical research was carried out. The research revealed the need to prioritize the digitization of water processes as a management tool to improve operational efficiency.
The MD for LOWASCO, Esther Lokitoe described the partnership as a timely intervention to drive the revenue growth of the Water Company.
She indicated the smart system would help address the challenge of water theft through illegal connections.
The move to adopt the smart technology comes just two days after the LOWASCO team visited Nakuru Rural Water Company, where system automation and control were key ingredients to the sustainability of water management.