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Managing Non-Revenue Water

The training course gives an overview of Non-Revenue Water (NRW), which is a major utility performance gap and the main reason for very high water losses in urban water supply systems. The course will enhance the capacity of decision makers and senior managers in the water sector to understand NRW concepts in order to make the most efficient, effective and equitable use of investments in water supply.

The course draws on material from the IWA «Water Loss Task Force» with IWA concepts and standards being promoted as best practices.

The course has two interactive Modules with a total of 7 Lessons. It is a web-based intensive course with asynchronous work, offline reading material (library), online forum and online-moderated expert live-chats. The flexibility allows individuals to select how long and when they intend to spend learning within the course period.

The course has a strong collaborative component: Discussions with the course tutors and with other fellow participants at regular chats or individual communication have the same importance as the learning content itself!

Regional tutors guide participants through the course, thus promoting the South-South learning exchange.

What are the goal of this course?

The course discusses water losses at global and local scale, IWRM (Integrated Water Resource Management), water loss challenges, the water balance, developing a NRW strategy and raising awareness on the strategy.

Participants will understand NRW concepts in order to make the most efficient, effective and equitable use of investments in water supply.

Module 1 sets the scene and stresses the importance of managing Non-Revenue Water. It wants to motivate participants to learn more about it and finally to get committed to do their part in order to reduce it.

After having read module 2, actors in the sector will have realised that there is no way to reduce NRW by themselves. There are roles and responsibilities for each type of stakeholder in implementing a NRW reduction strategy. Outreach programs will help build awareness and consensus regarding the importance of reduction activities and the benefits of reducing NRW.

At the end of the basic course, participants will have a good overview of what managing NRW is all about and what it entails in the utilities.

Module 3 & 4 are a separate and advanced e-learning course, addressing especially practitioners responsible for the management of NRW. They will guide the understanding of the different losses and how they can be calculated, measured or otherwise determined and what indicators there are to monitor them.


The Table of Content is available here:

Module 1: Introduction to «Water Losses & NRW»

  • Lesson 1: Water Losses at Global & Local Level;
    [This lesson introduces the global picture of endangered water resources and where the threads to them come from]
  • Lesson 2: How NRW Challenges affect the Water Sector;
    [This lesson emphasises the significance of NRW to water service delivery and the context it needs to reduce it.]

Module 2 «Concept of NRW and its Application»

  • Lesson 4: IWRM & Water Demand Management;
    [Impacts of water losses and the overall framework for NRW Management]
  • Lesson 5: NRW Basics;
    [Components of the water balance and their accuracy. Introduces WB EasyCalc, a specific software]
  • Lesson 6: The Water Balance;
    [Lists the different steps needed to develop a strategy to reduce NRW as member of your utility‘s team]
  • Lesson 7: Raising Awareness on the Strategy.
    [Who should be addressed and how when a NRW programme is going to be implemented]

Module 3 «Managing NRW»

  • Lesson 8: Understanding Commercial Losses;
    [This lesson explains the four elements of commercial losses, why they occur and  how to address them]
  • Lesson 9: Understanding Physical Losses;
    [The lesson explains physical losses or leakages, where and why they can occur and how you can detect and minimise them]
  • Lesson 10: Understanding «District Meter Areas»;
    [Makes you are familiar with a DMA and the many benefits it can have]
  • Lesson 11: Pressure Management;
    [Explains different aspects of pressure management for water supply networks]
  • Lesson 12: Performance Indicators.
    [The lesson highlights the importance of performance indicators for NRW interventions and explains how they are calculated]
  • Assignment:
    [The assignment will help you to get more practical understanding in determining and calculating losses within the network]

Module 4 «Intervention Planning»

  • Lesson 13: NRW Management Plans;
    [This lesson gives you a 9-step procedure you can take to develop and implement a NRW Management Plan]
  • Lesson 14: NRW Case Studies;
    [Four – very different – case studies from Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Australia and Zambia are presented in this lesson to show different approaches and aspects of NRW]
  • Lesson 15: Interventions and Priorisation.
    [Gives concrete examples how interventions can look like in terms of what is the current status, actions required, priority and constraints/risks]