ALL ABOUT AHT GROUP No. 44, December 2011

Since its founda4on in 1960 under thename of Agrar- und Hydrotechnik GmbH,AHT has been striving not only to providetechnical and engineering solu4ons butalso to offer the necessary “accompanyingmeasures” to ensure the sustainability ofinfrastructure investments. German donorsin par4cular (KfW and GIZ/former GTZ)have recognised very early that financingand building technical infrastructure alo-ne is not enough to support developmentand needs to be complemented by mea-sures ensuring sustainable opera4on andmaintenance. AHT has responded to theserequirements and specialised in this fieldby employing mul4disciplinary staff, bothin headquarters and on-site. In our pro-jects engineers, economists, sociologists,

geographers, pedagogues and poli4calscien4sts work together in interdisciplinaryteams. AHT is thus one of the few compa-nies able to implement planning and con-struc4on of infrastructure with correspon-ding accompanying measures in agricultu-re, irriga4on and drainage, water supplyand sanita4on as well as waste manage-ment.In the agricultural irriga4on sector, accom-panying measures essen4ally refer to theestablishment, organisa4on and streng-thening of Water User Associa4ons(WUAs). In some countries or regions suchas Eastern Europe and the states of theformer Soviet Union, where the conceptof WUAs is s4ll rela4vely new, consul4ngservices begin at the level of na4onal legis-

la4on (water law, law on WUAs). In otherregions such as North Africa, WUAs havebeen in opera4on for a long 4me and insome countries, WUAs have even beenestablished na4onwide (e.g. in Morocco,Tunisia). In these countries consul4ng ser-vices mainly focus on training and capacitybuilding of WUAs and their members inwater distribu4on, maintenance of irriga4-on and drainage facili4es, water fee col-lec4on, improvement of agricultural pro-duc4on, organisa4on of farmers and com-mercialisa4on of their products.

(con2nued on page 3)

The Importanceof „Accompanying Measures”

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New Contracts Recently Acquired by AHT:Madagascar: Watershed Management and Irriga4on Project – Extension (WB) +++ Vietnam:Evalua4on of the Quang Dien Local Development Project and of the Western Nghe An Rural Deve-lopment Project (Lux-Development) +++ Tunisia: Modernisa4on of Public Irriga4on Schemes,Accompanying Measures - Extension (KfW) +++ Moldova: Project Implementa4on Manager forthe Irriga4on Sector Reform and Centralised Irriga4on Systems Rehabilita4on Ac4vi4es (MCC) +++Jordan: Re-Use of Treated Wastewater for Irriga4on in the Northern Jordan Valley - Update ofFeasibility Study, Concept and Detailed Design, Tendering and Supervision (KfW) +++ Came-roon: Sector Programme Forest and Environment - Joint Fund Management (KfW) +++ Uzbekis-tan: Water Resources Management in Southern Karakalpakstan (WB) +++ Albania: Sewerage Pro-ject Pogradec III (KfW) +++ Indonesia: Prepara4on of a Biodiversity Conserva4on Component wit-hin the Indonesian-German Forest (REDD+) Programme and a Debt-for-Nature Swap (KfW) +++South Africa: Violence Preven4on through Urban Upgrading in Khayelitsha, Phase III (KfW)

IMPRESSUM

Published by:AHT GROUP AGManagement & EngineeringHuyssenallee 66 - 6845128 Essen/Allemagne

Edited by:Uschi Quickquick@aht-group.com

Managing Director:Dr. Hubertus Schneider

Supervisory Board:Gerardus van Wissen (President)

Dear reader!This edi4on of All about AHT Group focuses on whathas come to be known as “accompanying measures” –the complementary component of many projects thataims to ensure the sustainability of investments in tech-nical infrastructure. We are currently implemen4ng anumber of projects with such components in Asia,South-Eastern Europe, the Maghreb and Sub-SaharanAfrica, some of which are presented in this issue.In September the AHT management visited Samara andsurroundings where the Russian companies of the AHTGroup are located. The companies are s4ll coping withthe unfavourable weather condi4ons of the past fewyears which have been either too dry or too wet and theimpact on harvests has been considerable. Neverthe-less, the visitors were convinced by the professionalmanagement of the companies and were of courseimpressed by the cosy and comfortable atmosphere inthe newly rebuilt Hotel Graf Orlov.

Finally, we would like to draw to your a5en4on the Inter-na4onal Green Week in Berlin in January 2012. As wehave for the past three years, we will be organising apanel discussion with renowned experts on the topic of“Conserva4on Agriculture”.We hope you enjoy our newsle5er and would like totake this opportunity to wish you all a peaceful and avery happy 2012!

Photos cover page:Le#: Rural Water Supply and Sanita2on Project ProAir, IndonesiaRight top: 2nd Rural Infrastructure Project RIIP-2 – Accompanying Measures for Road Construc2on, BangladeshRight bo3om: Water Management N’Débougou, Mali

Uschi QuickEditor

Within the framework of the “Zoran-Djindjic InternshipProgramme” launched by the German Commi5ee onEastern European Economic Rela4ons, AHT welcomedMs Entela Hodaj, a young environmental engineer fromAlbania for a six-month internship at AHT’s headquartersin Essen.During her stay in AHT’s water supply and sanita4ondepartment, Ms Hodaj was involved in the whole cycleof project management, including prepara4on of expres-sions of interest and proposals, coordina4on with AHT’sproject offices and the day-to-day work in an interna4o-nal consultancy. She also a5ended a German languagecourse and has learned a lot about German culture,habits and the par4cular characteris4cs of the Ruhr-gebiet.

We are glad that Ms Hodaj could enhance her manage-ment skills in an interna4onally opera4ng consul4ngfirm and wish her success in her future professionalcareer.

Entela Hodaj, Environmen-tal Engineer from Albania

Interna-onal Internship at AHT’s Headquarters in Essen

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In water supply and sanita4on, accompanying measures help tostrengthen private, para-governmental and governmental organisa4-ons in charge of opera4on and maintenance of water supply andwastewater disposal systems. The support does not only relate totechnical opera4on and facility maintenance but also to organisa4onaland economic aspects. Most donors demand that at least opera4onand maintenance costs are sustainably covered by revenues of thewater and wastewater u4li4es.Consul4ng services in accompanying measures therefore mainly referto ins4tu4onal and organisa4onal aspects such as business plan deve-lopment, enhancement of fee collec4on efficiency, human resourcedevelopment, customer service development, training and capacitybuilding.

The main task of accompanying measures is to manage the sustaina-ble transfer of responsibility for opera4on and maintenance of newlyconstructed or rehabilitated facili4es to their future users and/oroperators.One important principle of accompanying measures is to take opera-4on and maintenance aspects into account already in the planningand construc4on phases. For this reason, involving future users andoperators in early project stages is of utmost importance to guaranteeits sustainable success.On the following pages, AHT presents a selec4on of current andrecently completed projects carrying out accompanying measures.

Dr. Hubertus Schneider

The Importance of Accompanying Measures (contd.).

RIIP-2 is one of more than 60 infrastructureprojects currently implemented by the LocalGovernment Engineering Department(LGED), focussing on the improvement andmaintenance of roads, markets and publicbuildings. It is financed jointly by the Govern-ment of Bangladesh (GoB), ADB, DFID, KfWand GIZ with a total financing volume ofapproximately 210 million USD.GIZ, through AHT, carried out a bundle ofaccompanying measures including thetraining and empowerment of rural poor(des4tute) women engaged in road mainten-ance. LGED has created so called LCS –Labour Contrac4ng Socie4es - which employannually more than 18,000 of the poorestrural popula4on - mainly women - tomaintain roadside tree planta4ons and ear-then shoulders and embankments of roads.This not only ensures that the roads are keptin good working condi4on and reduces cost-ly rehabilita4on measures, but it also createsa stable source of income for the poorest ofthe poor.The project trained up to 2,500 LCS womenin three different courses: fundamentaltraining, business skills and income genera4-on. The women learned about technical

aspects of road maintenance, income gene-ra4ng ac4vi4es and simple bookkeeping, butalso about basic informa4on such aswomen’s rights and health care issues.

Bangladesh: 2nd Rural Infrastructure Improvement Project (RIIP-2),Accompanying Measures for Road Construc-on/Rehabilita-on

LCS women repairing and compac2ngeroded road shoulder

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This KfW funded project aims at enabling theKafr El Sheikh Water and Sewerage Company(KWSC) to operate and maintain newly con-structed sewerage facili4es (11 sewage treat-ment plants, 22 pump sta4ons, 15 sewer sys-tems) in an effec4ve and efficient mannerand to enhance staff capaci4es for the ope-ra4on of sewage management systems ontheir own ini4a4ve and using their ownresources.The training concept developed by the Con-sultant is based on three pillars: training-of-trainers programme, on-the-job-training(OJT) and voca4onal training.The training-of-trainers programme wasintroduced to broaden the training impactand enable KWSC to be5er prepare futurepersonnel for their job. In courses on techni-

cal subjects (O&M, health and safety, pro-cess control, etc.) and training and manage-ment techniques, selected KWSC staff mem-bers were trained as trainers. Those who pas-sed the required exam have been available astrainers since late 2009.Plant managers and technicians alreadyassigned to sewage facili4es are further trai-ned through on-the-job-trainings. By intro-ducing support group mee4ngs and on-the-job-coaching, AHT has provided prac4cal sup-port for daily opera4on and maintenance.While this component focuses on the reviewand resolu4on of opera4onal problems,another component of the OJT programmesupports KWSC’s management staff.The improvement of technicians’ and labou-rers’ prac4cal skills will be achieved through

Egypt: Kafr El Sheikh Sewerage Training Project

The Training Programme for Water UserAssocia4ons (WUAs) is an accompanyingmeasure to the investment programme ofthe Fruit-Tree Produc4vity Project financedby the Millennium Challenge Corpora4on inMorocco. The aim is to rehabilitate small andmedium-size irriga4on systems and oases inthe northern, central and southern regions.To ensure sustainable management of therehabilitated irriga4on infrastructure, AHTand its consor4um partners have beenentrusted with the training programme cur-rently involving 100 water user associa4ons.

The specific aim of the training is to build and strengthen the skills ofthe WUAs with respect to maintaining and managing the irriga4onsystems and to maximising the value of their perimeters.The training cycle lasts seven months followed by a five-month’ moni-toring period. One cycle is divided into four training sessions coveringtopics such as “Management of a WUA”, “Water-saving measures”,“O&M” or “How to handle a pump sta4on”. Part of the training takes

place in classes with representa4ves from several WUAs to facilitatethe exchange of opinions and experience among the WUA members.A complementary prac4cal training is carried out in the field to putinto prac4ce the knowledge gained and to adapt it to the specificneeds of the WUAs. It is expected that by the end of the project in2013, 142 WUAs will have been trained.

Morocco: Strengthening of Water User Associa-ons

Welding training for technicians

Flow measurement training

In coopera4on with Sachsen Wasser GmbH, AHTis assis4ng local authori4es in providing appro-priate communal water and wastewater services.The Consor4um, in conjunc4on with Vodacom,the regional service company and project execu-4ng agency, supports the water and sewerageu4li4es (“ViKs”) of Tivat, Herceg Novi, Kotor andBar. Through consul4ng support and specific stafftraining the ins4tu4onal performance of the fourViKs will be improved with regard to the technicaland financial aspects of u4lity management andopera4on. In addi4on, Vodacom staff are alsotrained to improve their mandate as a regionalservice company for the municipali4es of theMontenegrin region.

AHT introduced and trained the ViKs’ staff in theuse of a Management Informa4on System (MIS)enabling them to control and monitor the u4li-4es’ status on a monthly basis. Another inter-ven4on of AHT was the reduc4on of high waterlosses. The procurement of leak detec4on equip-ment and the provision of related training laidthe basis for an improved use of the waterresources. AHT also recommended improve-ments in various other fields (appropriate billingand accoun4ng, opera4on and maintenance ofthe water and sewerage infrastructure) and trai-ned the ViKs’ staff in the applica4on and deve-lopment of those.

Montenegro: Ins-tu-onal Support of Water Supply and Wastewater U-li-es

High-pressure sewer cleaning

Cathy Gü3ner,WUA Adviser

voca4onal training, which covers prac4calmaintenance and repair techniques such asmechanical maintenance, welding, plumbing,corrosion control etc.

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In 2009, the first Tunisian centre for hazar-dous waste treatment went into service inJradou as part of the Na4onal Programmefor Integrated and Sustainable WasteManagement launched by the Ministry ofEnvironment. The programme also includesthe subsequent installa4on of collec4on, sto-rage and transfer points for hazardous wastein the northern, central and southern regi-ons. To secure sustainability of the program-me, an accompanying programme was laun-ched to support the recently founded unitwithin the Na4onal Agency for WasteManagement, ANGed, in establishing anadministra4ve, supervisory and cost recoverysystem for the management of industrial andspecial wastes and in se6ng up a func4o-ning implemen4ng structure.

Since 2010 AHT’s ac4vi4es focus on furtherstrengthening the capaci4es and technicalexper4se of the client’s staff via a tailor-madetraining programme. The measures includeseminars for the respec4ve beneficiaries(ANGed and other public authori4es, indus-

trial associa4ons, transporta4on companies,customs etc.) as well as individual measuressuch as on-the-job training and internshipsin European waste management enterprisesand public authori4es.

Tunisia: Implementa-on of Training Measures for Hazardous Waste Management

Within the Afghan Panj-Amu River Basinseveral larger irriga4on schemes exist, main-ly managed tradi4onally using provisionalweirs made from stones and s4cks in theriver which are washed away by the annualfloods, although a few also use more sophis-4cated construc4ons, such as a barrageacross the river and lined canals. Such a bar-rage with lined canal was realised in theKunduz Province. Several tradi4onal intakesand earthen canals were closed and thewater then managed using mechanical gateson the lined canals. This severe change in

water management required measures to support the local authori-4es in assis4ng the water users to re-organise their irriga4on andagricultural produc4on scheme.

For the wider integrated water resources management of the Panj-Amu River Basin a new ins4tu4on was created: in the Water BasinCouncil all stakeholders, governmental ins4tu4ons and private waterusers, decide democra4cally on the water management for the who-le basin. AHT assisted the water users as well as the governmentalins4tu4ons in the formula4on of the respec4ve water law and itsbye-laws.

Afghanistan: Rehabilita-on of the Kunduz-Khanabad Irriga-on Scheme

ProAir was jointly implemented by the Indo-nesian Ministry of Health, KfW and GIZ, incollabora4on with the province and districtgovernments in NTT. The objec4ve was thecrea4on of simple management structuresat village level enabling a sustainable andself-suppor4ng administra4on of the watersupply and sanita4on systems. The projectalso helped district governments to assistwater and sanita4on organisa4ons at villagelevel to fund infrastructure measures, estab-lishing water quality control systems, and for-mula4ng resource protec4on mechanism.The project has supported the installa4onand opera4on of 116 water supply systemsand some 1,000 sanita4on facili4es foraround 70,000 people in 47 villages. ProAir

also supported the establishment of wateruser groups (WUG) on village level to ensurethe day-to-day management on site. Duringconstruc4on the project facilitated the estab-lishment of the WUGs’ statutes and by-lawswhere, amongst other aspects, water tariffsare specified. Addi4onally, the project car-ried out training ac4vi4es (technical, admi-nistra4ve, financial etc.) as well as hygieneand sanita4on campaigns and successfullyconveyed the broader economic value ofwater to the people, for example encoura-ging its use for growing vegetables, whichwas never prac4ced in the region before.

Indonesia: Rural Water Supply and Sanita-on Project ProAir,Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT)

Technicians of a WUG repairing the watersupply system

Prac2cal training,carrying out an internal

audit according to ISO14001 at a toy manu-

facturer in Tunisia

Mee2ng with waterusers in Jangal Bashi

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Michael Glückert,Team Leader

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Since November 2009, AHT is suppor4ng theMunicipal Water Enterprise (MWE) of NoviPazar funded by Lux-Development. Novi Pazaris a city in the south of Serbia with about100,000 inhabitants. The popula4on suffersfrom poor water supply and wastewatermanagement. As technical and commercialwater losses are high (around 60%), watersupply shortages regularly occur in the sum-mer months. Low water tariffs and collec4onrates lead to low revenues and poor capacityto cover opera4onal costs, thus endangeringthe sustainability of water supply and sanita-4on services.

To complement the investments made in thewater supply infrastructure, a team of inter-na4onal and na4onal experts are providing awide range of accompanying services to MWEto overcome the iden4fied shortcomings. Theac4vi4es include the prepara4on of businessplans, improvements of financial manage-ment and commercial procedures (e.g. increa-se of the billing and collec4on efficiency, com-plaints handling etc.), and the development ofa new tariff structure and includes training ofMWE staff in all the men4oned aspects.

Serbia: Improvement of the Water Supply in the City of Novi Pazar

Technical inventory of the waterdistribu2on network

Having accompanied the valorisa4on oftranches I and II of the N’Débougou irriga4onscheme in the zone of the Office du Niger (ON),AHT is now implemen4ng accompanying mea-sures in tranche III within the same scheme.Construc4on works were finished in mid-2011,and since the beginning of 2010 a team ofexperts is suppor4ng staff of the ON as well asthe around 1,000 farming households whichhave been a5ributed land in this newly cul4va-ble area. AHT’s services, in co-opera4on with

its local partner BETICO, include agronomicaspects (cul4va4on techniques, choice of varie-4es, support in acquisi4on of farming inputs),technical assistance with respect to irriga4onwater management (crop water requirements,management and maintenance of irriga4on anddrainage infrastructure) and support to farmers’organisa4ons (from their establishment andregistra4on to daily opera4on, encompassing afunc4onal literacy campaign and support inraising credit).

Mali: Extension of the N’Débougou Irrigated Area (Tranche III)

Follow-up of cul2va2on techniquesin a rice field

In Albania AHT, in coopera4on with Sachsen Wasser GmbH, is imple-men4ng the “Accompanying Training Measure for the Water Supplyand Wastewater U4li4es in Berat-Kuçova and Lushnja”. The objec4veis to enhance the quality and reliability of water supply and sewerageservices and to improve the economic and technical sustainability ofboth water u4li4es.AHT’s tasks are to reduce the high water losses and to support theestablishment of standardised water balances. This includes the defi-ni4on of non revenue water, leak detec4on campaigns, comba4ngillegal connec4ons etc. Another focus of AHT is on the improvementof technical processes for water produc4on, distribu4on, opera4onand maintenance including the prepara4on of a maintenance manu-al and the development of technical procedures.Each task is accompanied by extensive training measures to ensure thatthe knowledge is transferred adequately to the water u4li4es’ staff.

Albania: Accompanying Training Measurefor Water Supply and Wastewater U-li-es

The irriga4on schemes in the Lower Medjerda Valley, which cover atotal area of 4,500 ha, are currently being modernised by switchingfrom gravity irriga4on to pressurised systems with drip or sprinkler irri-ga4on at field level. Parallel to the engineering ac4vi4es, AHT and itsTunisian partner SCET are carrying out the accompanying measures.The aim is to strengthen the technical and managerial capaci4es of thewater user organisa4ons and competent agencies of the water sector.The measures are tailored to the needs of the various beneficiaries ofthe project and include support to the Commissariat Régional duDéveloppement Agricole (CRDA) in managing the irriga4on infra-structure, to the water user associa4ons in managing the distribu4onnetwork as well as water-saving measures and agricultural extensionservices to farmers.

Tunisia: Modernisa-on ofPublic Irriga-on Schemes

Flow measurement in the water supplydistribu2on network

Frank Summa,Project Director

General assembly of a water userassocia2on

Training in computerised accoun2ng

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Interna-onal Green Week 2012 in Berlin: Panel Discussion on “Conserva-on Agriculture”At the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture at the Interna4onal Green Week 2012 in Berlin, AHT willagain be organising a panel discussion on “Conserva4on Agriculture – Experience from five Con4nents”.Conserva4on Agriculture (CA) is an effec4ve method for a more sustainable use of soil and water,which can be scarce and limi4ng resources in agricultural produc4on. Conserva4on Agriculture isbased on integra4ve methods that use the soil’s natural self-regula4on capacity and thereby help topreserve it.As in the previous years, AHT has ensured the par4cipa4on of interna4onally renowned experts. Par-4cipants in the round-table discussion will debate the most recent developments in the agriculturalsector, with examples coming from on-going AHT projects.

Date and place: Friday, 20th January 2012, Interna-onal Congress Centre in Berlin.

For more informa4on and registra4on: www.gffa-berlin.de

+++ last minute news +++ last minute news +++ last minute news +++ last minute news +++ last minute news +++

Coopera-on agreement on green gasproduc-on signedOn 27 October 2011, Gasprom, N.V. Neder-landse Gasunie, ZAO Eurotechnika and Bio-gaz Energo Stroy signed a coopera4on agree-ment for the realisa4on of a pilot project forthe development of green gas produc4on inRussia, and making the benefits of this gasavailable to the European Union. Green gas isdefined as gas produced from organic sour-ces, of which the physical and chemical cha-racteris4cs correspond to the quali4es ofnatural gas.

Potatoes harvest delayed byheavy rains in SeptemberThe extremely dry growing season 2010 wasfollowed by a wet 2011. Wheat, barley andsoya did very well. The growing season wasfollowed by a very wet September which har-med the sunflowers and prevented the pota-

to harvest. Normally the potatoes harvest iscomplete by the end of September - this yearhowever only 30 % of the potatoes were har-vested by that 4me. With the beginning ofthe frost on 4 November, Samara Solana hadharvested 92.5 %, Toglia6 Solana 100%,Orlovka Solana 90% and Tschornovsky 70% ofthe potato fields. In total 24,000 tons ofpotatoes were harvested. The average yieldamounted to 34 tons/ha.

AHT delega-on visitsassociated companies in RussiaFrom 8 to 12 September 2011, an AHT dele-ga4on consis4ng of Elise Esselink-van Wis-sen (Supervisory Board Member), Ruth Evers(Head of Administra4on), Uwe Blum (Headof Finance and Accoun4ng) and Dr. Huber-tus Schneider (Managing Director) visited theRussian companies within the AHT Group inSamara and surroundings.

During produc4on site visits, the delega4onmembers witnessed the produc4vity andcompe44veness of the Russian companies.The delega4on a5ended the annual share-holder mee4ng with Mr van Wissen (Chair-man of AHT’s Supervisory Board) and MsOrlova (Managing Director MPS Group). Thisvisit in Samara was the first occasion for theGerman delega4on to stay in the newlyrebuilt Graf Orlov Hotel.

Brief News from the Russian Companies of the AHT Group

From le# to right: Dr. Hubertus Schneider, ManagingDirector AHT, Vadim Smirnov, Execu2ve DirectorEurotechnika, Elise Esselink-van Wissen, SupervisoryBoard Member AHT

Signing the coopera2on agreement in the Kremlin,Moscow: (from le# to right) Lyudmila Orlova, GeneralDirector Eurotechnika ZAO, Paul van Gelder, ChairmanGasunie, Sergei Chernin, Chairman Biogas EnergoStory, Alexander Medvedev, Vice Chairman Gasprom

AHT GROUP AGHuyssenallee 66-6845128 EssenAllemagneTél.: +49 201 2016-0Fax: +49 201 2016-211E-Mail: info@aht-group.comInternet: www.aht-group.com

2.5 millionth tree planted in Madagascar!In the Erosion Control Component of the Malagasy-German Environmental Programme the 2.5 millionth tree has been planted! The project isfinanced by KfW and aims at the sustainable management of watersheds and the protec4on of irriga4on perimeters. The programme worksaround the biggest rice producing areas of the country and adjacent to the na4onal parks Ankarafantsika, Anjanaharibe and Marojejy.

The na2onal coordinator, Madame Marie Clémen2ne Voninavoko (centre), and two of her staff during the tree plan2ng ceremony in Ambanja