May 2014: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has published a guide to managing water utility assets, aimed at helping utility managers reduce water losses, improve services and finance ongoing maintenance operations. The guide is intended to help improve sustainability of operations and realize the full benefits of ADB loans for water supply.

The authors discuss approaches to reducing ‘non-revenue water’ that is lost to leakage, theft and inaccurate metering. They provide guidance on increasing customer coverage and quality of service in the areas of water supply availability, sewage and wastewater treatment and customer service.

The guide provides an overview of the concept of asset management in water utilities, and presents a number of tools to help utility managers design and monitor their own change process. It includes case histories on the experiences of four water utilities in: Rawalpindi, Pakistan; Davao City, the Philippines; Barwon Water, the State of Victoria, Australia; and Hai Phong City, Viet Nam.

The final chapter of the guide is a commentary on the realities of improving asset management. The authors note that most utilities will require several years to complete an adequate inventory of assets, analyze service coverage and projected demand, estimate the level of investment required and plan their monitoring strategies. [Publication: Water Utility Asset Management: A Guide For Development Practitioners] [ADB Press Release]