Cape Town: The City of Cape Town is all set to host its first international Smart Water Metering workshop in collaboration with SWAN Forum in February 2024.
The City of Cape Town is looking forward to the members of the Smart Water Network Forum (SWAN) consisting of other international utilities for a specialised workshop about advanced water metering infrastructure.
The event will be observed from Feb 28, 2024 to March 01, 2024 at The Table Bay Hotel.
The SWAN-Cape Town workshop targets the purpose of gaining insights from both local and international experts on the value-added benefits and opportunities behind smart water metering after going through various phases from scope to implementation.
The timings of the event are entitled ‘Unlocking the Water Utility AMI Journey’ is ideal, as the city embarks on its journey of putting smart water meters into the selected regions soon.
At present, SWAN is leading a global non-profit and membership-based organisation that brings together water utilities, industry experts and innovative solution suppliers to promote and accelerate the adoption of smart data-driven solutions in water, wastewater and stormwater networks worldwide.
The Member of the Mayoral Committee Water and Sanitation of the City of Cape Town – Dr Zahid Badroodien, said, “Earlier, during the 2023-24 financial year, the Directorate is investing R25 million into progressing the development of the smart water metering program.”
He added that the consultants were appointed to assist in the completion of the design phase in preparation for the next stages of tendering and rollout.
The City of Cape Town joined the SWAN in 2019, after the studies of scoping and feasibility began for the use of smart water meters. It was a need of the business enhancement project that subsequently resulted in the establishment of the Water and Sanitation Directorate’s Customer Service Branch.
Councilor Badroodien added to his statement that considering the water metering project’s scale and complexity, he anticipates a 15-year expenditure plan of more than R5 billion.
“The Water and Sanitation Directorate’s goals for communication at this point are to raise awareness about this pioneering initiative and to disseminate information about the advantages of using smart metering technology,” added the Councilor.
The Councilor mentioned that once implemented, it will help customers track their spending on water bills and contribute towards Cape Town becoming a water-sensitive City.
The panel discussion at the upcoming three-day workshop programme will include experts from Namibia, Ghana, Spain, Australia and the US. The panel discussion will also involve the participation of the general public by selling limited tickets.