Maynilad targets reduction in water losses this year

West zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. is targeting to lower water losses by 162 million liters per day (MLD) this year.

This will be done through the repair of 36,000 pipe leaks across its service area and replacing 180 kilometers of old pipes in parts of its concession area, Maynilad said in a statement.

The target volume recovery is equivalent to filling up 73 Olympic-size swimming pools daily and is enough to supply the water needs of some 162,000 people.

“These network upgrades are necessary so we can continue to reduce water losses and increase water pressure in the distribution system, thus increasing available supply for distribution to our customers,” Maynilad COO Randolph Estrellado said.

This year, Maynilad allotted P4 billion for its non-revenue water (NRW) management program which aims to curb physical and commercial water losses.

The program involves pipe and meter replacements, active leakage control using state-of-the-art leak detection technology, district metered areas establishment and maintenance, and sustained network diagnostic activities.

This is part of its five-year program of replacing 639 kilometers of old, leaky pipes as part of upgrading its distribution system to reduce water losses.

Maynilad said it allocated around P9.9 billion for the replacement of deteriorated pipelines in portions of Manila, Parañaque, Pasay, Muntinlupa and Las Piñas.

Once completed, the pipe replacements— along with Maynilad’s leak repair and network diagnostic activities—will allow for the recovery of some 66-MLD of water.

The estimated recovered water will be enough to supply the water needs of almost 340,000 residents, the company said.

Since its re-privatization in 2007, Maynilad repaired 458,000 pipe leaks and replaced 3,083 kilometers of old pipelines, enabling it to renew 66 percent of the pipe network it inherited from the government.