MIYA Is Part of The International Water Association Series “Beneath The Surface”, Produced By BBC Story Works Commercial Productions

The MIYA and National Water Commission (Jamaica) Non-Revenue Water (NRW) projects continue to garner international recognition, this time, through an online film being produced by BBC Story Works.

The film crew captured areas of Kingston and Saint Andrew and Portmore, Jamaica, where the NRW programme was being executed by MIYA Water Jamaica in collaboration with the National Water Commission.

The film is part of the BBC Story Works docuseries which features the most innovative, life-changing water solutions being implemented across the world.  

The film centres the Jamaican story on the global award-winning KSA NRW Reduction Programme and in the current highly successful Portmore NRW reduction program, with its positive impacts on the lives of Jamaican citizens and businesses. 

 In an interview, MIYA Executives explained that the programme was critical in building resiliency within the NWC and providing hundreds of Jamaicans with efficient water service.

"At MIYA Jamaica we are delighted to show to the world this Co-Management programme. Moreover, it has allowed us to collaborate on this scheme which guarantees residents of Kingston and Portmore access to a safer and reliable water system, being more resilient to drought and climate change.”

The film highlights the project results that have transformed areas in Kingston that were perilously affected by high volumes of water losses.  Underscoring the smart water strategies deployed by MIYA and NWC, the storyline showcased how the lives of community members and local businesses are dramatically improved since gaining access to a reliable water supply.  

These stories were primarily told from the perspective of Melissa, a community member of Patrick City who now benefits from the work done through the MIYA-NWC project. 

Through a reality documentary approach, the film explores a day in the life of Melissa and her access to water from a cultural and socio-economical perspective. Melissa commented on how difficult it was for her and her family before the NRW project to have regular access to water, adding that the project has dramatically and positively reshaped her life and the life of her family. 

"It puts a strain on the family to get about doing regular activities, but now that we have regular flows, I am enjoying it a whole lot. Water is important for everyday life and when you don’t have it you realize the importance of it. I don’t ever want to think about not having water in my pipe again. Water is life!”

The 6-year KSA NRW Reduction Scheme commenced in 2015 and concluded in 2021.

The 5-year Portmore NRW Reduction programme commenced in 2021 and will be concluded in 2026.

Under both programmes, significant strides were made to improve operational and financial efficiency within the NWC: convert non-paying users to committed customers through social interventions; sensitise citizens about the benefits of proactive water conservation practices; and more importantly improve the efficiency of water delivery to numerous homes, organizations, and businesses in Jamaica.

MIYA and NWC through its co-management model focused on improving leak detection, leak repairs, pressure management, metering activities; on-the-job training among other critical improvements to NWC’s water network systems. 

At the end of the programme NWC recorded in KSA a massive reduction of over 50,000 m3 per day, bringing losses from 120,000 m3 per day to below 70,000 m3 per day as of September 2021.  

In Portmore the NRW programme has recorded a massive reduction of over 8,000 m3 per day, bringing losses from an initial 26,000 m3 per day to today´s 18,000 m3as of September 2022.

The film was released at the IWA World Water Congress in Copenhagen, and you can find it in the following link: