Review of the WLTF workshop at the IWA World Water Congress Beijing 2006
Review of the Water Loss Task Force workshop at the recent IWA World Water Congress held in Beijing 12th Sept 2006.

The work of the Water Loss Task Force (WLTF) has formed the basis of a set of Non-Revenue Water

Reduction training manuals prepared and promoted by the World Bank Institute (WBI), the capacity

building arm of the World Bank Group.

In the workshop slides of the WBI training modules were used to highlight some of the key advances

that were made by the WLTF. International case studies on various water loss reduction topics were

presented and the concept of ""Performance Based Outsourcing of Water Loss Reduction Activities""

was introduced and formed the basis for panel discussion.

Significant advances have been made in understanding and modelling water loss components and in

defining the economic level of leakage for water supply systems. However, many systems worldwide

still continue to have high levels of leakage and it is almost certain that for many of these it is higher

than the economic level that could be achieved.

The WLTF, part of the IWA's Specialist Group for Efficient Operation and Management of Urban Water

Supply Systems, has in recent years been promoting a standard approach for water balance coupled

with universally applicable water loss performance indicators as well as developing a comprehensive

set of analytical tools and methodologies for water loss management aiming in raising awareness and

assisting utilities worldwide to improve the operational performance of their water supply systems. Also

the WLTF is currently working on the preparation of Guidance Notes which will cover issues of efficient

and effective management of water distribution systems.