Benchmarking as a management tool to reduce non-revenue water

Benchmarking como herramienta para reducir las pérdidas físicas en los sistemas de suministro de agua

Abstract

In concerns of non-revenue water in water supply systems, the benefits arising from the reduction of their indexes directly impact social, economic and environmental spheres, including the expansion of access to clean water. Benchmarking is a management tool already adopted by some countries in this context, aiming to reduce the amount of non-revenue water. The present study aimed to gather information about the application models of this tool, as well as to compare the performance with other countries in which it is also not applied. It was observed that the ideal benchmarking structuring model capable of minimizing these indexes includes less than annual application frequency, partial regulation, absence of confidentiality, gratuity, open and restricted reports to service providers and mean interactivity of the results release. It was also concluded that the countries where benchmarking is practiced have better performances regarding lower levels of non-revenue water.

Keywords:
Water supply system; non-revenue water; performance improvement; benchmarking