AS Tallinna Vesi Operational Performance in the 1st half of 2012
7/24/2012 2:30 AM EST
Tallinna Vesi
Company Announcement
AS Tallinna Vesi Operational Performance in the 1st half of 2012
In the 1st half of 2012, the operational performance of AS Tallinna Vesi
reached the highest levels to date, exceeding expectations in comparison with
the previous year. Operational and quality indicators show constant
improvement. Compared to H1 2011, there are improvements in removing pollution
from the wastewater discharged into the Baltic Sea and in wastewater, service
quality and customer communication indicators. The Company continues its
efforts both in maintaining high performance levels and improvements in all
indicators as well as improving customer service. The Company also focuses
increasingly on raising the awareness of the local community about
environmental issues and activities.
Indicator 2011 2012
H1 H1
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Water
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Compliance of water quality at the customers tap 99,73% 99,73%
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Water loss in the water distribution network 19,54% 16,40%
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Average duration of water interruptions per property 3,68 h 3,2 h
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Number of customer contacts regarding water pressure 347 343
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Wastewater
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Number of sewer blockages 578 398
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Number of customer contacts regarding blockages and storm water 1070 853
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Wastewater treatment compliance with environmental standards 100% 100%
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Customer service
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Responding written customer contacts within at least 2 work days 94,1% 98,4%
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Number of written contacts 4604 4644
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Number of failed promises 51 6
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Notification of unplanned water interruptions at least 1 h 97,6% 89,99%
before the interruption
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Reacting to sewer blockages within at least 2 hours 69% 92%
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Tap water exceptionally drinkable
During the 1st half of 2012, 99.73% of water samples taken at customers’ taps
were compliant with all requirements. From 1457 samples taken, only 4 did not
comply with the requirements. These exceptions were mostly caused by
construction activity in Tallinn.
The Company follows a water-sampling programme approved by the Health Board.
The programme specifically determines sampling sites, sampling frequency and
parameters to be analysed.
Continuous work for a cleaner environment
In order to comply with environmental requirements and to ensure a clean Baltic
Sea and Bay of Tallinn, Paljassaare Wastewater Treatment Plant is removing more
and more pollution from the wastewater each year. In a single year, the amount
of discharge to the Baltic Sea has decreased significantly. Compared to the 1st
half of 2011, the volume of discharge has decreased by 169 tons.
The Company considers the sustainable use of water resources to be crucial.
This is witnessed by the significant reduction in leakages, enabled by the
Company’s focused efforts. Better management and monitoring of water and
sewerage network as well as quick response to leakages and bursts has led to a
significant reduction in leakages. When in 2001 the level of leakages exceeded
32%, in the 1st half of 2012 the level reached just 16.40%. Compared to ten
years ago, more than 13 thousand cubic metres of treated drinking water are
saved on a daily basis.
The Company is persistently working to prevent blockages, in order to reduce
the risks of flooding and pollution. Compared to the 1st half of 2011,
customers are witnessing less problems with blocked pipes and sewerage
drainages compared to earlier. Reduction in blockages has been possible due to
several preventive actions like jet washing the network and long-term
investments for developing the sewerage network. In addition to preventing
blockages, the Company is also eliminating blockages quicker than previously.
In the 1st half of 2012, 92% of blockages were responded to within 2 hours
after registering a respective notice.
Dedication to improving customer service
The company considers precautionary activities very important in order to
enable the Company to react quickly and prevent more serious problems from
occurring. To determine customers’ priorities in areas of improvement, an
improved regular feedback system was put into place in the 1st half of 2012.
Also, the Company is increasingly focused on proactive customer notifications.
The main goal is to keep customers informed as much as possible of all events
that may affect their services. To minimize the inconveniences caused by
service breaks, the Company pre-notifies its customers in cases of unplanned
water interruptions. The company has also identified the areas with the most
risk for flooding in cases of heavy rain. Starting from June 2012, the
customers in these areas are notified in the occasions of potential hazard via
e-mail or SMS.
Compared to last year, the average time for responding to queries in writing
has improved significantly. Almost 99% of the customers received an answer to
their query in less than 2 working days. The number of failed promises has
fallen considerably. The customer promises of AS Tallinna Vesi are part of the
Company’s continuous devotion to providing services of even better quality to
its customers. With those promises, the Company undertakes to achieve even
higher levels of services than stipulated in the Services Agreement signed with
the City of Tallinn and is one of the only companies of all utility companies
in the Baltics with a customer service programme of that kind.
Creating environmental awareness among people
In the 1st half of 2012 the Company continued to promote environmental
awareness. In addition to the project “Water Day in Kindergarten”, the Company
created new teaching materials for II school grade natural science class,
supporting the new national curriculum. The materials take into account both
the topics in the curriculum (environment and sustainable growth, informational
environment) as well as specific topics for the class. To introduce the
materials, the Company started a series of seminars for teachers that will
continue until autumn this year.
In the spring of 2012, the Company conducted an extensive informational
campaign “Tap water = Drinking water”. The goal of the campaign was to raise
awareness of the quality of the tap water, and to educate on how preferring tap
water to drinking water can help to save money as well as the environment. In
addition to the campaign, the Company continued its collaborative efforts with
Tallinn’s restaurants to encourage customers to choose tap water instead of
bottled water.
Mariliis Mia Topp
Head of Communications
AS Tallinna Vesi
62 62 275