Vol 3, Issue 9 (September 2002)

Analysis

  • A word from the Editor

    Welcome to September’s GWI. The Johannesburg Summit on Sustainable Development made headlines around the world at the end of August. A range of water and wastewater promises were made and targets set.

General

  • As-Samra wastewater BOT signed

    The project agreement for the As-Samra WwTP was signed last month by Jordanian Minister of Water and Irrigation Hazim El-Naser and representatives from the Samra Plant Consortium (SPC). SPC is comprised of Ondeo, Ondeo Degrémont and Morganti of the US.

  • Azeri loans announced

    A CREDIT OF $145 MILLION is to be made available to Azerbaijan for the reconstruction of the Samur-Absheron canal.

  • Biwater the sole bidder for Dar es Salaam lease

    Tanzania’s Parastatal Sector Reform Commission (PSRC) has received only one offer for the ten-year lease contract to manage water and sewerage services in Dar es Salaam.

  • Cape Town latest

    At the end of 2000, a new council came into being following local government elections in the Cape Town area.

  • Egypt gripped by wave of pessimism

    The Egyptian government’s ambitious plans to open up new areas of the country to its rapidly expanding population are meeting with mixed success. A contract in the Suez Special Economic Zone (SEZ) involving Canadian firm SNC Lavalin has been suspended amid fears of far lower than predicted water demand. Meanwhile, plans to develop an independent water and power project (IWPP) in Sinai appear to have been put on hold.

  • Four bidders for Tehran wastewater

    FOUR COMPANIES HAVE SUBMITTED BIDS for an estimated $60-70 million contract to build a new wastewater treatment plant in the Iranian capital of Tehran. The client is Tehran Sewerage Company (TSC).

  • Gelsenwasser broadens local business base

    GELSENWASSER has further widened its domestic sphere of influence through a joint venture with the municipal utility of Essen.

  • Israel and Turkey finally agree water transfer deal

    A year from now, the first drop of Turkish water will flow through Israel’s National Water Carrier, following three years of negotiations and procrastination which have marred, and even jeopardised, the strong economic ties between the two countries.

  • Israel building more desalination plants

    Israel is to build another desalination plant, which will supply 100Mm<sup>3</sup> of water annually. Construction of the plant – at Caesarea – is expected to cost in the region of $200 million.

  • Other news from Johannesburg - partnerships and targets

    As well as the joint announcement by the Israelis and Jordanians, the Johannesburg summit gave rise to a number of other declarations on the provision of water and wastewater services.

  • Petrolina concession beckons

    THE CITY COUNCIL OF PETROLINA in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco is involved in detailed discussions with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) with a view to preparing its basic sanitation services for privatisation.

  • Red-Dead canal back on the agenda

    Among the declarations to come out of the recent World Summit on Sustainable Development was a joint announcement from Jordan and Israel that they are to pursue an estimated $1 billion project to transport water from the Red Sea near Eilat to the Dead Sea.

  • Sabesp first half results hit by currency depreciation

    São Paulo state water company Saneamento Básico do Estado de São Paulo (Sabesp) has announced a first half loss of R$218 million (US$70 million), a 257.6% greater loss than the company registered in the first half of 2001.

  • South Africa’s new water strategy

    The South African government has finally set out its plans for the water sector over the next decade and beyond. Much of the theory of the government’s strategy was set out in the 1998 National Water Act but it has taken four years to put the meat on the bones. Although the publication of the National Water Resource Strategy (NWRS) explains the means by which the nation’s water can most effectively be used, it does little to settle the debate over public versus private control of the water sector.

  • Wupperverband cross-border leasing contract

    The German public water corporation, Wupperverband has signed a cross-border leasing contract with two large US banks to raise funds to modernise and expand its wastewater treatment plants.

Companies

  • Oewa expands east German business

    VIVENDI WATER SUBSIDIARY OEWA WASSER UND ABWASSER has taken over the management and operation of the Schlieben water company in the south of eastern Germany.

  • RWE bullish about water sector

    Following a two-year buying spree which has affected all four of its core business sectors – water, electricity, gas and environmental services – chairman of the RWE executive board Dietmar Kuhnt says the group will now take a breather on acquisitions to focus on the integration of new companies and on maximising synergies.

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