From 2007 to 2008 USAID facilitated a twinning partnership between Indah Water Konsortium of Malaysia (IWK) and the Urban Environmental Company (URENCO) of Halong City, Vietnam, the city's wastewater treatment plan operator. Consultations between USAID and URENCO revealed that URENCO's staff needed additional training to operate and maintain its Bai Chay centralized wastewater treatment and interceptor sewer system. IWK then developed and administered a series of trainings on treatment system optimization and preventative maintenance. At the conclusion of the partnership URENCO reported a 25% increase in contaminant removal resulting from better system optimization practices suggested by IWK. URENCO also plans to apply the O&M procedures co-developed by IWK for its second treatment plant.
April 2007 : IWK Showcases Wastewater Treatment System at Regional Event
At the Manila Regional Wastewater Forum supported by USAID, IWK showcased best practices on managing and operating the SBR wastewater treatment system in Bandar Tun Razak, Malaysia. IWK also demonstrated practical field methods to sample and analyze wastewater system effluents. Since URENCO attended the Forum and also operates a SBR system in Halong, USAID helped link IWK and URENCO as twinning partners.