Quarterly Progress Report 5, July 1 - September 30, 2020

The project's objective is to improve operational performance and achieve full cost recovery and financial sustainability in the water and wastewater sector. The project focuses on four outcome areas: Asset Management, Quality of Service, Cost Recovery, and Operational Efficiency. In the Asset Management area, IWSSTA held meetings and workshops to discuss the concept structure for business plan production in Luxor and Sohag water companies, in coordination with HCWW. The team also designed data collection training for above-ground assets, collected data for software assessment, and assessed Non-Revenue Water (NRW) management available equipment and practices. In the Quality of Service area, IWSSTA prepared the central laboratory in Assiut for procurement, prepared staff structure for labs, prepared training needs requirements, and presented the Internal Audit functions to each water company. The team also conducted field testing of Customer Identification Survey in Minia, Assiut, and Sohag. In the Cost Recovery area, IWSSTA reviewed the billing system in Luxor and Minia, conducted field testing of Customer Identification Survey, and prepared Power Factor procurement. The team also prepared training packages for energy efficiency audits. In the Operational Efficiency area, IWSSTA set up a Best Practice Committee for water treatment, which resulted in a 30% improvement in terms of cost by changing alum powder to alum liquid. The team also prepared training packages for energy efficiency audits. The project has moved out of mobilization into full implementation, with IWSSTA visiting each WWC to implement actions to mitigate the restrictions due to the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The Government of Egypt reports a continued existence of the virus. Following consultation with all beneficiaries, IWSSTA prepared the Year 2 Work Plan and submitted the Plan to USAID/Egypt. Annex 1 provides information on activities carried out with partner WWCs during the reporting period, via contact reports sent to each Chairman after the field trips and copied to HCWW. Annex 2 contains the approved Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Plan. IWSSTA is preparing to launch the tools to be used to monitor progress. Annex 3 gives details on the status of the Year 1 Work Plan. The IWSSTA Activity will provide technical services and related resources to Egypt's Holding Company for Water and Wastewater (HCWW) and its subsidiary companies in Upper Egypt, including Minia Water and Wastewater Company (WWC), Assiut WWC, Sohag WWC, Qena WWC, and Luxor WWC. The project started on July 9, 2019, and is for a duration of four years. IWSSTA will strengthen the capabilities of the HCWW and its subsidiaries to implement recent GOE initiatives aimed at improving the operational performance and financial sustainability of the WWS. The activity will build on, and be implemented in close coordination with, other USAID and donor-supported programs in the sector that aim to improve and expand water and sanitation services. The project's focus on enhancing the water sector performance and sustainability primarily through the implementation of recent GOE initiatives will contribute to the achievement of the project's objective. The project's activities will be implemented in close coordination with other USAID and donor-supported programs in the sector, ensuring a comprehensive approach to improving and expanding water and sanitation services. The IWSSTA Activity will provide technical assistance to the HCWW and its subsidiary companies in Upper Egypt, focusing on four outcome areas: Asset Management, Quality of Service, Cost Recovery, and Operational Efficiency. The project's activities will be implemented in close coordination with other USAID and donor-supported programs in the sector, ensuring a comprehensive approach to improving and expanding water and sanitation services. The project's objective is to improve operational performance and achieve full cost recovery and financial sustainability in the water and wastewater sector. The project's focus on enhancing the water sector performance and sustainability primarily through the implementation of recent GOE initiatives will contribute to the achievement of the project's objective.