Ramboll called in to develop water system master plan for Bucharest

15 February 2017 Consultancy.uk

Apa Nova Bucuresti, a utility operator in Romania's capital, has commissioned Ramboll to create a master plan for the city's future water and sewage system needs, focused on efficiency and sustainability. The firm, over the 14 month commission, will also audit the current state of the water system in Bucharest.

Bucharest, the capital of Romania, has a population of around 2.1 million. The city, like many around the globe, faces the burden of increasing urbanisation mixed with changing conditions to climate. Like much of the rest of Europe, predictions from regional models point to increased extreme weather, including heatwaves and rainfall. The city’s water and sewage treatment management was privatised in 2000 through a 25-year concession to French company Veolia, operating as Apa Nova Bucuresti.

Apa Nova Bucuresti recently announced plans to make the city’s water system “more efficient and sustainable.” To realise this goal the firm has commissioned Ramboll, a consultancy operative in a number of sustainability related projects, to develop a master plan.

Ramboll to create efficiency and sustainability master plan for Bucharest

The plan is focused on creating a “future-proof” water and sewage system for the city, which includes a range of adaption and mitigation features to meet climate change risks. The plan will cover the entire city, as well as a number of suburbs in the wider metropolitan area.

The project will, in addition to the development of a plan, also involve an audit of the current state of the water supply and sewerage system/infrastructure in the city, as well as evaluate current asset management practices. The project has a 14 month duration.

Silviu Stoica, Director for Ramboll's Global Water practice in Romania, "The project includes an analysis of both the natural and the socio-economic characteristics of the area, related to water consumption and discharge. We will also do a thorough review of the services provided by Apa Nova Bucharest. Based on these insights we will identify areas for improvement, development and diversification and set up an investment plan for the short, medium and long term.

The consultancy firm has been called into action for a number of other climate change related sustainability projects, including in San Francisco and New York.