West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. is set to spend PHP16.5 billion until 2027 for its non-revenue water (NRW) management program to reduce losses.
In a statement on Saturday, Maynilad said it will allocate around PHP10 billion for pipe replacement projects over a five-year period.
Majority of the pipe replacement projects will be in Manila, Quezon City and Caloocan, where most pipelines are old and need to be replaced.
Other water loss reduction initiatives, according to Maynilad, would be the company’s meter management projects, establishment of smaller District Metered Areas, leak repairs, and diagnostic activities totaling an allocation of PHP5.84 billion.
Maynilad said the remaining budget will be used for leak detection equipment and technical services.
Maynilad slashed its total NRW level from 68 percent in 2006 to 43 percent in 2022, recovering around 413 million liters per day.
Among the activities done to generate the recovered volume included replacing 3,083 kilometers of old pipelines and repairing almost 460,000 pipe leaks over a 16-year period.
The firm noted that around 80 percent of its water losses are due to leaks (physical losses), while the rest are caused by inaccurate water metering and illegal connections (commercial losses).
Maynilad chief operating officer Randolph Estrellado said more resources will be dedicated toward the reduction of losses in order to speed up water volume recovery in time for El Niño, projected to start by July or August.
“We hope that we continue to get the support of the relevant government agencies and local government units in facilitating the release of permits and other requirements needed for our NRW projects,” Estrellado said.
Maynilad targets to reach the recommended level of NRW of less than 25 percent of the total water produced by 2027.
Last week, Malacañang directed all national government agencies and instrumentalities to ensure the strict implementation of water conservation measures to thwart the possible shortage of supply amid the looming El Niño.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, by authority of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., signed on June 7 Memorandum Circular (MC) 22, mandating all government offices to identify and implement “specific, quantifiable, and attainable” water conservation measures that will result in 10 percent water volume reduction of their respective first quarter water consumption.
Under MC 22, the Water Resources Management Office (WRMO) and its network of agencies with water-related functions will take the lead in implementing a nationwide conservation program, in coordination with other relevant government agencies.
The WRMO, created under Executive Order 22 inked by Marcos on April 27, is the apex government body in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources tasked to harmonize government efforts and oversee the implementation of the Water Resources Management Plan to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water resources. (PNA)
