Manila Water is the water and sanitation services concessionaire for Metro Manila’s east zone. The company faces several challenges in providing sanitation services to its area of coverage. These challenges include the provision of land for treatment plants, securing right of way for sewer lines, solid waste and biosolids management, and increasing public awareness and support. This presentation shares how the company strives to overcome these challenges.

In The Netherlands, floods have been a foremost concern as it has claimed the lives of close to a million people since the year 838. Without dikes, 29% of the county is below sea level, 26% are flood plains, and 55% are flood-prone areas. This presentation shares the actions the country has taken to mitigate floods. It also shares the lessons it has gained. Succesful flood mitigation, based on The Netherlands' experience, needs the involvement of stakeholders and science institutes. Building with nature also helps ensure sustainability and support.

Australia has implemented extensive water reforms for over thirty years and has successfully increased productivity and efficiency of water use while ensuring the health of its river and groundwater systems. The country’s experience shows that water reform is not merely about infrastructure, but a long-term social transformation that needs the active involvement of stakeholders in every step. Leadership and a roadmap are also crucial to water reform success.

WIKTI, a performance management tool of SUEZ, can help improve the service and performance of water utlities. The tool also enables water service providers to set targets and corresponding action plans. It also provides an objective evaluation of the maturity of all business processes.

The tool has been implemented in many parts of the world, including Algiers in Algeria and Adelaide, Australia.

Many cities in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) have grappled with physical and financial challenges in managing water supply and quality primarily because they offer water at highly subsidized rates. To help address this issue, an ADB initiative sought to make water tariffs in PRC market-driven while helping municipal water concessionaires become financially self-sufficient. Despite initial resistance, the project has helped local governments explore tiered pricing systems, gradually raising the profitability of water utilities.

Majority of the residents in Southville 7, a resettlement site in the municipality of Caluan in the Province of Laguna, Philippines, now have access to clean water through communal water stations that were set up by a public-private partnership between the homeowners’ associations and Laguna Water District.