GWF and WfW: Lucerne Alliance Pioneers New Approaches to Water Supply Worldwide

Water losses caused by leaks in distribution networks are a global challenge for water utilities. Unused water quite literally seeps away together with revenues that are urgently needed for the maintenance, operation, and expansion of drinking water infrastructure. The Lucerne-based technology company GWF AG and the non-profit organization WATER FOR WATER (WfW) are now addressing this issue together. Their partnership combines Lucerne measurement technology with many years of experience in building water supply systems in small towns facing particularly acute challenges, with the goal of creating water services that can sustainably finance themselves over the long term. The pilot project “Water in a Box” in Zambia is already delivering promising initial results.

Billions of people worldwide lack reliable access to safe drinking water. One of the most underestimated challenges is globally the same, yet manifests very differently at the local level: while water losses in distribution networks—so-called non-revenue water—are typically low in Switzerland, large volumes of treated drinking water are often lost in many other parts of the world before reaching households. Without accurate data, there is no foundation for efficient system management and, consequently, for the economic viability of water services. This is precisely where the new partnership between the Lucerne-based technology company with a 125-year tradition and the non-profit organization comes into play.

Technology Meets Local Expertise
“The challenges in the water sector are far too complex to be solved in isolation,” says Florian Strasser, CEO and Chairman of GWF AG. “We contribute our technological expertise in measurement and data analytics. WfW provides the critical on-the-ground operational know-how and deep social embeddedness. This collaboration—which also includes responsibility for installation and operation—enables us to achieve a sustainable impact for the local community.”

In this integrated model, the quality of measurement technology and data transmission plays a decisive role. The technologies developed and manufactured in Lucerne are able to fully demonstrate their strengths even in demanding installation environments.

Pilot Project “Water in a Box” in Zambia
The partnership is being put into practice through the first pilot project, “Water in a Box,” in the small town of Pemba in Zambia’s Southern Province. There, water supply services are frequently constrained by insufficient revenues and inadequate maintenance. To address these challenges, GWF and WfW are jointly establishing a system designed for long-term functionality: GWF provides solar-powered metering technology along with the digital infrastructure for monitoring and billing, while Water for Water installs the systems and will operate them in the future as a licensed water utility.

Digital monitoring makes water flows transparent for the first time. This not only enables the identification of leaks, but also allows a significant share of water losses to be reduced through targeted pressure management. “By reducing water losses and fairly billing actual consumption, we create a system that is financially self-sustaining, socially accepted, and provides people with reliable access to water over the long term—without being permanently dependent on external funding,” explains Lior Etter, Co-Executive Director of WATER FOR WATER.

A Model with Strong Scaling Potential
Preparations are already underway to expand the concept tested in Pemba to the water supply systems of additional small towns. In Zambia’s Southern Province alone, around 150 comparable towns are facing similar challenges.

This cross-sector alliance from Lucerne demonstrates that entrepreneurial thinking and social impact are not mutually exclusive, but rather a prerequisite for sustainable, long-term solutions in the water sector. Guided by this shared understanding, the two Lucerne-based partners are also working beyond this project to raise public awareness of further challenges related to water resources and to address them collaboratively.