An estimated 56,000 of Nairobi’s poorest residents will benefit from a programme initiated by four partner organisations. Co-funded by Borealis, Borouge and OFID, with implementation and project management by WSUP, the programme will deliver a safe and reliable water service costing a tenth of what residents currently pay to private water vendors.
Water for the World™, a joint Borealis and Borouge Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) and the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) have joined forces to supply Nairobi’s Mukuru Sinai and Korogocho informal settlements with improved access to drinking water. This will be achieved through a planned approach to network design using high quality PE pipes and pre-paid water dispensers to provide water at a much lower unit tariff than they currently pay.
“Using high quality PE pipes, we will reduce the non-revenue water lost due to leaks and illegal connections that impact on Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company’s financial ability to supply informal settlements around the city,” explains Borealis Chief Executive Mark Garrett. “The expected lifetime of these pipes is three times as long as existing pipes and higher durability results in fewer pipe breakages, less contamination and leaks, and lower maintenance costs.”
“Based on our significant experience in developing sustainable water systems in all kinds of terrains and urban environments, we are able to bring our expertise in plastic pipe solutions and networks to the people living in this Kenyan settlement”, says Wim Roels, CEO Borouge’s Marketing & Sales Company. “In Asia, we have also supported several local communities in India, Vietnam and China through our Water for the World program, by facilitating access of safe drinking water and better sanitation to schools and villages. This collaboration with WSUP is another opportunity where we engage with an international NGO to bring affordable and safe drinking water to more homes.”
WSUP Chief Executive Sam Parker notes that the key objective is to supply drinking water at an affordable price: “We achieve this by applying a model that strengthens the capacity of service providers to extend their services into low-income areas and informal settlements on a profit-basis, at the same time as offering water at a price less than half a cent per jerry can.”
Parker highlights the success of existing WSUP programmes in Bangladesh, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique and Zambia that have adopted the model, which promotes financial, institutional, environmental and social sustainability: “Our objective is to strengthen the capacity of the local water utilities to develop a commercially viable approach for service delivery to poor customers which can ultimately help transform cities and address the growing challenge of urbanisation.”
Mr. Rachid Bencherif, Head of OFID’s Grants Unit believes it will be a showcase to be replicated in other regions where clean water supplies are in demand: “OFID’s principal objective is to provide the finance that allows essential infrastructure to be built, thus alleviating poverty and stimulating economic growth. OFID’s projects focus on meeting basic needs, which include clean water and sanitation, alongside food, energy services, healthcare and education.”
END
For further information please contact:
Virginia Mesicek
External Communications Manager, Borealis Group
Tel. +43 (0)1 22 400 772 (Vienna, Austria)
e-mail: virginia.mesicek@borealisgroup.com
Amira Abdulla
Vice President, Vice President, Global Communications, Borouge
Tel: +97 126 070 807 (Abu Dhabi, UAE)
e-mail: amira.abdulla@borouge.com
Since 2007 Borealis and Borouge have been running a programme called Water for the World, a partnership programme to advance solutions, expertise and know-how to address the global water challenge. The programme spans a full range of activities at global and regional levels, in science, industry and for local communities focusing on 3 key areas:
Improving access to water and sanitation through local projects
Preserving water resources through sustainable water management practices
Advancing best practices and raising awareness in communities and across the value-chain
The OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) is the development finance institution established by the Member States of OPEC in 1976 as a collective channel of aid to the developing countries. OFID works in cooperation with developing country partners and the international donor community to stimulate economic growth and alleviate poverty in all disadvantaged regions of the world. It does this by providing financing to essential infrastructure projects, strengthening delivery of social services and promoting productivity, competitiveness and trade. OFID’s work is people-centered, focusing on projects that meet basic needs - such as food, energy, clean water, sanitation, healthcare and education – and also encourage self-reliance. www.ofid.or
WSUP is a non-profit partnership between the private sector, NGOs and research institutions focused on solving the global problem of inadequate water and sanitation in low-income urban communities. It brings lasting solutions to low-income areas by working in partnership with service providers; including water utilities, local authorities and businesses, and the communities they serve. WSUP strengthens the capacity of service providers to deliver sustainable city-wide water and sanitation services, promote good hygiene and raise the environmental standards of low income communities. www.wsup.com.
Borealis is a leading provider of innovative solutions in the fields of polyolefins, base chemicals and fertilizers. This year, Borealis already celebrates its 20th anniversary. With headquarters in Vienna, Austria, Borealis currently employs around 6,400 and operates in over 120 countries. It generated EUR 8.1 billion in sales revenue in 2013. The International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) of Abu Dhabi owns 64% of the company, with the remaining 36% owned by OMV, the leading energy group in the European growth belt. Borealis provides services and products to customers around the world in collaboration with Borouge, a joint venture with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).
Building on its proprietary Borstar® and Borlink™ technologies and 50 years of experience in polyolefins, Borealis and Borouge support key industries including infrastructure, automotive and advanced packaging.
The Borouge 3 plant expansion in Abu Dhabi will be fully operational in 2014. Borouge 3 will deliver an additional 2.5 million tonnes of capacity when fully ramped up, bringing the total Borouge capacity to 4.5 million tonnes. Borealis and Borouge will then have approximately 8 million tonnes of polyolefin capacity.
Borealis offers a wide range of base chemicals, including melamine, phenol, acetone, ethylene, propylene, butadiene and pygas, servicing a wide range of industries. Together with Borouge the two companies will produce approximately 6 million tonnes of Base Chemicals in 2014.
Borealis also creates real value for the agricultural industry with a large portfolio of fertilizers. The company distributes approximately 2.1 million tonnes per year. This volume will increase to more than 5 million tonnes by the end of 2014.
Borealis and Borouge aim to proactively benefit society by taking on real societal challenges and offering real solutions. Both companies are committed to the principles of Responsible Care®, an initiative to improve safety performance within the chemical industry, and contribute to solve the world's water and sanitation challenges through product innovation and their Water for the World™ programme.
For more information visit:
www.borealisgroup.com
www.borouge.com
www.waterfortheworld.net
Borstar is a registered trademark of the Borealis Group.
Water for the World is a trademark of the Borealis Group.
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