Miya Water Jamaica and the University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech), in July, signed a memorandum of understanding to establish the Miya Annual Civil Engineering Scholarship, which will see civil engineering students also benefit from an internship component of the scholarship programme.
As part of this collaborative effort, key representatives from the UTech School of Engineering and Computing recently visited the offices of Miya Water Jamaica in Portmore, St Catherine to discuss Miya’s operations, the innovative technologies employed by the organisation, and to explore opportunities for enhancing the internship component of the scholarship programme.
During the visit, the UTech delegation, comprising Professor Sean Thorpe, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Balvin Thorpe, PhD – Associate Professor & Vice-Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Computing, and Damion Cummings, Lecturer, School of Engineering, engaged in productive discussions with Miya Water Jamaica’s management team and visited various water management facilities in the area.
The focus was on understanding the cutting-edge tools and techniques used by Miya in their water management processes, with the aim of better aligning the educational experience of scholarship recipients with industry needs.
MIYA Jamaica has been operating on the island for over eight years, starting with a 6-year project in the corporate area with the National Water Commission (NWC) to improve water distribution efficiency, outlined Katherine Paleracio, Project Manager, Miya Water Jamaica.
In Portmore, over the past three years, it has reduced water losses from 26,150 to 13,000 m³/day representing a 50 per cent reduction in non-revenue water (NRW) and a total savings of 13,150 m3/day (2.9 million gallons per day), allowing NWC to redirect 2.75 million gallons of water to neighbouring cities while upholding service levels in Portmore.
“With our expertise, we are well-equipped to help future civil engineers meet world standards,” said Paleracio.
She went on to note that the collaboration with UTech is expected to enrich the educational journey of the scholarship recipients, providing them with exposure to real-world engineering challenges and the opportunity to work alongside industry professionals.
“Students will be able to develop their skillset around Non-Revenue Water Reduction which encompasses Active Leak Control, GIS, Hydraulic Modelling, Pressure Management, Metering and other activities,” she said.
Professor Sean Thorpe, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at UTech, said: “I’m pleased to have requested this visit and to see firsthand the exceptional work Miya is doing with stateof-the-art equipment and technology. It’s great to see a balance between theoretical knowledge and practical application, which is crucial for the overall development of our students at UTech.”
