A potential site for the new wellfield in Daugavpils, Latvia.
Tampere Water and Sewage Works (TWSW) is supporting DWWE primarily to improve its operational efficiency, financial sustainability and client relationships. The twinning arrangement between these water utilities is financed by the Finnish Ministry of Environment and will last from 1996 until the end of 1998. The total budget is USD 1.2 million. During 1996 Tampere specialists made approximately 400 working days in Daugavpils.
DIFFERENCES
Economically and operationally speaking, the water-related enterprises of Tampere and Daugavpils are quite different. TWSW is a profit-making organization, collecting all of its income from water tariffs, and it distributes USD 7-8 million per year to its owner, the City of Tampere. DWWE, on the other hand, is supported by the City of Daugavpils due to insufficient water tariffs.
There is also a great difference in the attitude of inhabitants towards paying for water. In Finland, water utilities normally have no major problems with collecting the tariffs, but this is not yet the case in Daugavpils. Therefore, it is important to influence public opinion so that everybody understands that there is no such thing as free-of-charge water supply.
TWSW, like many western water utilities, buys a lot of services from outside organizations, e.g., transportation, excavation, book-keeping and computer services. Due to an undeveloped local service supply, DWWE has to maintain almost all these functions within its organization, which means that the number of staff needed is relatively 3-4 times higher than in Tampere.
ON-THE-JOB TRAINING
Fortunately, technical solutions are relatively similar in both utilities, making a good base for on-the-job training, which provides an excellent possibility for exchange of know-how and experiences. Several DWWE specialists have worked in Tampere in similar jobs to their own, and a team from Tampere has worked in Daugavpils.
THE FUTURE
The fruitful co-operation between the Tampere and Daugavpils water utilities will continue until the end of 1998. Three years is not a long time to raise the efficiency and economic sustainability of DWWE, which is over 100 years old, but progress can already be seen. Operational efficiency, economical stability and customer relationships are key areas in which Tampere personnel will continue to work in order to help their partner become one of the most efficient water utilities in the Baltic region.
For further information, please contact Mr Timo Heinonen.
