Management-Indicators Consulting System for Potable Water Utilities

Martha Patricia Hansen Rodríguez ¹, Rodríguez Varela J. M.¹, Laurel Varela Y.¹, Fernández García H.², Martínez

Ocampo G. A.¹, Antúnez Leyva E.¹, Gómez Lugo L.¹, and Casados Prior J.¹

1. Instituto Mexicano de Tecnología del Agua (IMTA), México

2. Universidad Tecnológica Emiliano Zapata (UTEZ), México

Abstract: The service-quality performance that a water utility offers any city can be measured according to the efficiency and effectiveness with which it provides water, gathers it and treats it once it becomes wastewater. Other important aspects are, user satisfaction, the continuous provision of water with quality and quantity, knowledge of the elements that make up the infrastructure, having a reliable users’ register; knowledge of production and delivery of water to consumers, use of all treatment units’ full capacity. Not to mention, attention to users’ complaints in a reasonable time and timely payment for the service as well as the repayment of operation costs, maintenance and administration.

This is why it is important to create a system of indicators that permits the evaluation of the evolution of the development and modernization process of water utilities for potable water, sewerage and treatment, set goals to be reached, and contribute to the transparency of national information.

The Mexican Water Technology Institute (IMTA, 2017), created an indicator program for the management of water utilities (PIGOO, based on its initials in Spanish) which have gone up from 50 to 189 since 2005 to 2016, they provide service to 49% of the population in Mexico. At the same time, the number of management indicators has gone from 12 to 29. Information is available for the 245 participating organisms on the web site, http://www.pigoo.gob.mx/, which has an option for consulting a mobile app for the Android operating system.

The battery of 29 management indicators permits the measurement of the performance and efficiency of potable water systems in technical-operative, commercial and financial aspects. Ideally, performance indicators for water utilities would be linked to an objective or a strategy that the same entity sets. These are calculated through data gathered from annual reports of variables such as water volume produced, number of employees, total revenue and costs, occurrence of leaks, complaints etc.

The website has, among other things, the possibility of comparing these indicators, geographic consulting, and search filters for different demographic and geographic ranges of value for different management-performance indicators. This work presents the diverse topics and options that the program offers as well as the analysis of its results.

Key words: performance indicators, water operating systems, PIGOO, México