The year 2023 was one in which Ñuble witnessed how climate change continued to be talked regarding. Rains, floods and, consequently, high levels of turbidity in rivers – following years of extreme drought – tested the resilience of various cities in the region.
Faced with a scenario in which meteorological conditions have changed, Essbio took stock of its management during the year, highlighting that the execution of its investment plan has allowed it to face the challenges imposed by climate change.
During the past year, the company made investments of more than $10 billion in the Ñuble Region, with a package of drought and resilience works. Among them, the Florida-Quillón interconnection stands out, an interregional project that covers the Region of Ñuble and Biobío, reinforcing the future provision of water for more than 20 thousand people, in the midst of a structural drought that affects both communes.
For the regional manager of Essbio, Peter Schmohl, “in a context in which climate change has imposed various challenges on us such as periods of extensive drought and rains with 0 isotherm, the execution of our investment plan has allowed us to anticipate and face good form these climatic phenomena, ensuring service to our customers. Looking to the future has allowed us to strengthen the resilience of cities and contribute to the development of the regions where we operate, impacting the quality of life of the communities.”
He announced that by 2024 the company’s first reservoir will be put into operation: Ninhue. “It is a project that is part of our investments in drought and resilience and will allow us to contribute to water security. It will have a capacity of 40 thousand m3 and an investment of more than $2 billion,” highlights Schmohl.
During 2023, in addition to the drought works, various projects were carried out to close gaps in service, with works that allowed pressures to be improved; reduce water losses; reduce service discontinuities and customers affected by emergency outages. During the period, more than 2,700 meters of drinking water networks and more than 1,990 meters of sewage networks were renewed.
The executive also complemented with other actions they developed to optimize the service. “Last year we executed a leak detection plan that allowed us, through acoustic technology, to detect possible leaks in the network. We traveled more than 293 km, detecting 201 leaks. Added to this was the sewer preventive maintenance plan, which at the corporate level involved the review of more than 100 km. of collectors and involved the removal of 79 tons of elements foreign to the system, reducing the risk of obstructions and discontinuities,” he explains.
The company also implemented software to address water outage emergencies. This consisted of the activation of alternative supply plans, with the installation of supply ponds in strategic locations defined in advance. Progress was also made in the sensorization plan for Wastewater Lifting Plants to reduce possible overflow events.
Virtual care
For Essbio, a central axis of its management, said Peter Schmohl, is to create actions that allow it to respond efficiently to the needs of its clients. With this objective, during 2023 it expanded its 100% virtual service system, as part of its challenge to permanently innovate in the service experience.
The regional manager of Essbio explained what it consists of. “We designed a model that allows us to increase the satisfaction of those we serve and respond to their requirements through simple, transformational and decisive services that make people’s lives easier. We enable two options. The first is the possibility of having virtual service through the website and the second corresponds to digital service totems in some branches through which customers will be able to carry out a series of procedures such as: request a copy of the ticket and proof of payment, check account status, check authorized contractors; request a certificate of no debt and even have a video call with an executive to clarify any questions or concerns.”
Currently 78% of care is not in person. The channel with the greatest growth in 2023 was WhatsApp, with an approximate increase of 262% and representing 12% of Essbio’s total attention.
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