World Toilet Day: Reflecting on the value of toilets for Melburnians and beyond
This is in stark contrast to many communities worldwide, with WaterAid Australia highlighting that two billion people do not have access to their own toilet.
Managing Director, Pat McCafferty, has just returned from Cambodia where he witnessed the transformative impact of providing access to sanitation services in a community supported by WaterAid.
“Providing reliable sewer services is our core business and a key part of protecting public health and the environment,” Mr McCafferty said.
“Our customers rely on us every day to keep the sewer system working behind the scenes, enabling them to enjoy clean and reliable sanitation without a second thought.
“This World Toilet Day, we’re also thinking of those two billion people around the world who still lack access to safe sanitation and are proud to support WaterAid’s efforts to change that,” he said.
Managing sanitation services requires expertise and investment. Yarra Valley Water’s service area alone includes a network of 10,300 kilometers of sewer pipes – enough to stretch from Melbourne to Beijing, China – 93 sewer pump stations, and 9 sewage treatment plants.
This large network requires a regular maintenance program, planned upgrades and careful 24/7 monitoring to keep toilets flushing.
Yarra Valley Water takes a proactive approach to prevent issues and ensure pipes and plants function at their best, from early detection of blockages to deploying remote monitoring technology.
“As we mark World Toilet Day, it’s a chance to reflect on how fortunate we are in Melbourne to have access to clean, safe sanitation,” Mr McCafferty said. “Our dedicated team works tirelessly to ensure that every flush flows smoothly. At the same time, we’re reminded of the importance of extending this essential service to communities around the world, to provide a basic but lasting improvement that fundamentally improves people’s quality of life.”
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Yarra Valley Water employees recently support WaterAid Australia’s annual ‘Walk for Water’, raising nearly $20,000 to for water and sanitation improvement projects beyond their service area.
A 2013 study found the average home in Yarra Valley Water’s service area has 2 toilets. The water corporation services 818,000 residential homes and 62,000 businesses.
These figures can be found in a study of water use in Melbourne’s metropolitan area, produced by the Smart Water Fund for South East Water, City West Water (now Greater Western Water) and Yarra Valley Water: Smart-Water-Fund-2013_Melbourne-Residential-Water-Use-Studies.pdf