This partnership between Grundfos Lifelink and Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC) was launched in 2015 to provide people in Nairobi slums with a reliable access to a clean and affordable water supply. Aware of the challenges of public water utilities in developing countries, namely serving an increasing number of people migrating into cities and the need to reduce non-revenue-water, this partnership was established to test an innovative Grundfos Lifelink solution, the AQtap water dispenser.

This partnership was established to provide incentives and empowerment to NCWSC to expand its water distribution to informal urban settlements to avoid the undesirable water cartels. The solution is the AQtap, a single product that combines three elements essential to smarter water management: smart cards to store water credits; a dispenser unit to tap water and manage credits; and a water management system where data from transactions and operations are processed and published. In 2015, four Grundfos Lifelink AQtaps were installed in existing water kiosks by NCWSC in informal settlements in Nairobi (Mathare area). The automatic water dispensers were connected to existing water supply system, including the water grid and an overhead water storage tank, thereby providing water kiosks with 24 hours water availability and automatic revenue collection.To collect water, people charge a smart card with credit bought onsite or via their mobile phones, ins ert it into the dispenser and pay for the water they need. The water management system receives and publishes all transactional and operational data from each water dispenser. Thereby the system plays a crucial role in the evaluation of impact. The system also includes an alert function, which allows NCWSC to immediately detect – and respond to – operational problems so that maintenance can be carried out in a timely manner. This helps minimize operational downtime of the water kiosk.

Grundfos Lifelink and NCWSC cooperate in co-fundraising, public affairs and branding activities to support the common goal of delivering sustainable water supply to people in Nairobi slums. It is the role of Grundfos to build the capacity of NCWSC within the following main areas: energy efficiency, use of solar energy, non-revenue water reduction, efficient revenue collection by using Grundfos Lifelink technology, and extension of water service delivery to non-served areas. It is the role of NCWSC to provide testing ground for Grundfos Lifelink Water Management Systems, provide operational personnel and equip them with satellite offices, ensure water quality assurance and to facilitate community mobilization.

Increased incidences of drought linked to climate change is increasing water scarcity, particularly in areas that have limited and sporadic rainfall, leading to migration and increased urbanization. Increased urbanization in developing countries, in turn, puts pressure on water utilities to provide people with a reliable access to a clean and affordable water supply. In particular, water utilities in urban areas face challenges when trying to establish efficient operations and collection of revenue in informal settlement. In lieu of public water utilities, water cartels control the sale of water, resulting in high costs for the consumers and potential health risk because of uncontrolled water sources. This partnership was established to provide incentives and empowerment to NCWSC to expand its water distribution to informal urban settlements to avoid the undesirable water cartels. The solution is the AQtap, a single product that combines three elements essential to smarter water management: smart cards to store water credits; a dispenser unit to tap water and manage credits; and a water management system where data from transactions and operations are processed and published. In 2015, four Grundfos Lifelink AQtaps were installed in existing water kiosks by NCWSC in informal settlements in Nairobi (Mathare area). The automatic water dispensers were connected to existing water supply system, including the water grid and an overhead water storage tank, thereby providing water kiosks with 24 hours water availability and automatic revenue collection. To collect water, people charge a smart card with credit bought onsite or via their mobile phones, ins ert it into the dispenser and pay for the water they need. The water management system receives and publishes all transactional and operational data from each water dispenser. Thereby the system plays a crucial role in the evaluation of impact. The system also includes an alert function, which allows NCWSC to immediately detect – and respond to – operational problems so that maintenance can be carried out in a timely manner. This helps minimize operational downtime of the water kiosk.

Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company Ltd, Grundfos Lifelink