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| Nilaksh Kothari, a speaker at marcus evans Water & Wastewater Management Summit 2012, on overcoming the challenges being faced at water utilities. |
NEW YORK, Apr 13, 2012 - (ACN Newswire) - Water and wastewater utilities in North America have come to be silent, reliable service providers in North America, but serious underfunding and budget cuts could soon take a toll on aging infrastructure. Nilaksh Kothari, General Manager at Manitowoc Public Utilities, and a speaker at the marcus evans Water & Wastewater Management Summit 2012, in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 3-4, sheds some light on the challenges impacting utilities today and how they can be minimized.
- What are the top five challenges facing water and wastewater management utilities today?
The aging water and wastewater infrastructure is a major problem for the industry. A recent study has found a funding gap of USD 9 billion annually in water infrastructure in the US. This is a tremendous amount of underinvestment.
On top of that, the uncertain economic situation has brought about financial instability and a decrease in demand, as consumers try to conserve water to save on their bills.
Thirdly, as a large percentage of the workforce prepares to retire in the next five to ten years, replacing employees is proving to be an issue for this sector.
I also cannot underemphasize the increasing and expanding regulations coming from the EPA.
And lastly, changing customer needs and dynamics, in terms of the water quality requirements and how the media influences public opinion.
- How can utilities overcome budget cuts?
Water utilities need to do more with less. They should try to be more resourceful in how they manage available resources. It boils down to prioritization of projects and issues, and utilizing technology to the greatest extent possible.
There is a need for utilities to understand and communicate risk. After all, doing more with less is just another way to operate at a higher risk level, because the level of investment is not adequate.
- What opportunities could they take advantage of?
The key is planning and looking at solutions holistically, more so than operating in silos, which is what many organizations do. They need to collaborate more so than they have done in the past. There are many opportunities to reduce costs, such as by outsourcing to third parties what can be handled more efficiently.
Utilities in North America have been the silent servers, providing services without communicating with their customers what they do or how they do it. They must raise the level of awareness, to ensure that people still believe that drinking water is safe and of the highest quality.
- What is critical for safeguarding public health and safety?
Maintaining and optimizing the existing infrastructure, utilizing technology and assuring that the workforce is adaptive and trained to deal with challenges, would be the top three priorities to assure water is always safe, reliable and delivered at the taps 24/7.
About the Water & Wastewater Management Summit 2012
This unique forum will take place at the Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa, Las Vegas, Nevada, May 3-4, 2012. Offering much more than any conference, exhibition or trade show, this exclusive meeting will bring together esteemed industry thought leaders and solution providers to a highly focused and interactive networking event. The Summit includes presentations on improving reliability and cost effectiveness in water and wastewater utilities.
For more information please send an email to info@marcusevanscy.com or visit the event website at www.h2osummit.com/NilakshKothariInterview
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/MarcusEvansGroup
Twitter: www.twitter.com/meSummitsGlobal
SlideShare: www.slideshare.net/MarcusEvansSummits
marcus evans group environment/utilities/ energy - http://bit.ly/GRwSTl
Please note that the Summit is a closed business event and the number of participants strictly limited.
Contact:
Sarin Kouyoumdjian-Gurunlian
Press Manager,
marcus evans Summits
Tel: +357-22-849313
Email: press@marcusevanscy.com
Topic: Trade Show or Conference
Source: marcus evans Summits
Sectors: Water
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From the Asia Corporate News Network
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