Lima Water build foundations for Smart Water Network

To ensure that industrial locators within LIMA Estate will continue to enjoy a reliable and sustainable water supply for years to come, Aboitiz InfraCapital subsidiary Lima Water Corporation (LWC) is turning to digitization to manage its water supply network more efficiently.

As the end-to-end water services provider of LIMA Estate – a 700-hectare Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA)-registered economic zone that is home to 127 locators from different industries, 167 retail and restaurants spaces, 138-room four-star hotel, a transportation hub, over 2,000 households, and more than 58,000 employees – it is important that LWC is able to offer adequate water and wastewater treatment services to its customers.

Working towards adopting a Smart Water Network wherein its water facilities turn into interconnected and intelligent systems, LWC launched a pilot automation program last year. Through this program, LWC’s water facilities are able to communicate with each other and automatically adjust its operating setup depending on the requirements. This is done by  integrating Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems and its corresponding digital output instruments like water meters and sensors.

Using data collected from the system, the LWC team is then able to better understand the demand pattern of locators. The system also notifies the team if there is any system abnormality, allowing them to repair and resolve issues as soon as possible and minimize water loss. In addition, LWC is able to keep team members safe with its remote operation feature, while still improving asset management.

As a result of the pilot program, LWC was able to save 30% of its operational budget for repairs last year and reduce fuel consumption by 20% for its daily monitoring routine. The company also significantly improved on its response time during equipment failure, and maintained a high average facility uptime of 99.3% in 2020.

“As the LIMA community grows, we are constantly finding ways to optimize our processes and facilities, as well as ensure the sustainability of our water supply. With this innovation, we are able to take proactive steps to secure LWC’s longevity and reliability.”– Hazele Manalo, Assistant Vice President and General Manager of LWC

This year, LWC is embarking on the second phase of its Smart Water Network Project. This will now involve the integration of water network monitoring, including real-time leakage detection and water consumption monitoring. The Smart Water Network will also provide real-time data on water pressure, availability, contamination, and defects in the water distribution system. This will allow more efficient water distribution to locators while ensuring water quality standards. 

Once fully integrated, the Smart Water Network is projected to lead to even better operational efficiency and savings in terms of deep well operation, auto adjustment of transfer pumps and non-revenue water (NRW) management, aligned with its sustainability objectives.

LWC will also further work on data science and artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives with Aboitiz Data Innovation (ADI), a newly formed business unit of Aboitiz Group with focus on optimizing the organization’s operations through data science and AI. With this collaboration, LWC will be able to accelerate its delivery of innovative solutions that leverage on new capabilities by tapping on the data collected from the systems for better efficiency and processes. 

“The synergies that can be created through the application of Data Science and AI will create smarter, more reliable and more predictable systems that in turn will benefit our customers.”– Dr. David R. Hardoon, Aboitiz Data Innovation Managing Director and UnionBank Senior Advisor for Data and AI

LWC has a proven track record of providing quality water supply and wastewater services in the most environmentally friendly and sustainable way possible. In June 2020, LWC’s laboratory unit was accredited as an environmental testing laboratory of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, validating its certified quality approach to water quality testing and customer service. The company also serves as Aboitiz InfraCapital’s operational and reference standard for Estate Water Business.

LWC’s efforts to enhance the management of its water supply and wastewater treatment operations is in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal No. 6 which focuses on ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.