After seven years of privatisation, the harmonious combination of right development direction, flexible cooperation foreign units and professional and experienced human resources has sustained the development of Gia Dinh Water Supply Joint Stock Company. The company has become a leading light in business reform and customer base development.
In 2011, despite numerous difficulties arising from economic slowdown, Gia Dinh still achieved output growth of 2.4 percent, return on equity (ROE) of 22 percent and most other business targets. Director Nguyen Quoc Thai said the outcomes were beyond the company’s expectations in the context of volatile economic outlook.
At present, Gia Dinh is focusing on the community. According to the direction of HCM City People’s Committee, the company supplies clean safe water for local citizens. Water accessibility is an important indicator the Municipal People’s Committee set for water supply units. And, 99.18 percent of households accessible to clean water is the target for Gia Dinh at the end of 2011. Its business operations cover Phu Nhuan District , Binh Thanh District, parts of Go Vap and District 3.
The company always improves service quality by building electronic information pages to create quick and convenient communication channels for customers, coordinating with banks to collect water bills, and shorten document handling processes.
Gia Dinh is active to apply information technology to management and business operations. Most applications are written by its workers like water quota management programme, customer information management, water metre upgrading. “Currently, we are deploying GIS programme, incorporating customer information data and network information built ton GIS platform to head for a comprehensive management programme to serve customers and operate network,” Director Thai said.
Currently, a major challenge for the company is over 30 percent of pipelines aged above 30 years. Network data were not enough recorded. This is also a basic reason for its high rate of water loss.
In a technical support cooperation programme with Dutch Vitend-Evides, the company applied network management methods in District Meter Area (DMA) model. The model is being deployed in six regions, helping reduce the rate of water leakage to 25 percent. This cooperation programme has broadened experience in network management and personnel capability enhancement. In the past years, the firm has participated in technical infrastructure construction bids.
To sustainably reduce water losses, the company must employ a close water supply network management system powered by advanced IT applications and modern monitoring equipment. Thai said the company needs VND500 billion to apply DMA model but it faces hardships in finding capital sources. Gia Dinh will ask for new policies to mobilise local resources to reduce water loss and invite capable investors to forge cooperative ties.”
In the 2012 - 2015 period, Gia Dinh focuses on maintaining and providing safe and continuous water for people, manage water supplied in accordance with caretaker model, reducing water leakage, applying IT application to professional and management activities. The company aims to supply clean water to all households in localities it is in charge.
Bich Thuy
Vietnamese
