MWC to spend ₧9.9B for pipes

MAYNILAD Water Services Inc. (PSE: MWC) is planning to spend P9.9 billion to replace 639 kilometers of old, leaky pipes in various locations within its concession area over the next five years.

MWC, which serves the West Zone of the Greater Manila Area, is the private water concessionaire of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS).

It covers areas in the cities of Manila (certain portions), Quezon City (certain portions), Makati (west of South Super Highway), Caloocan, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Valenzuela, Navotas and Malabon all in Metro Manila; the cities of Cavite, Bacoor and Imus and the towns of Kawit, Noveleta and Rosario, all in Cavite Province.

The deteriorated pipelines, which are located in portions of Manila, Parañaque, Pasay, Muntinlupa and Las Piñas, is part of the plan to upgrade the company’s distribution system and further reduce water loss.

This project is part of MWC’S P219.8-billion total spending plan for 2023 to 2027.

Once completed, these pipe replacements—along with MWC’S leak repair and network diagnostic activities—will allow for the recovery of some 66 MLD (million liters per day) of water, which is enough to supply the water needs of almost 340,000 residents.

“We are committed to investing in our infrastructure to continuously improve our services. Our goal is to provide 100% of our concession area with 24-hour supply at appropriate water pressure,” MWC Chief Operating Officer Randolph T. Estrellado was quoted in a statement as saying.

Since its re-privatization in 2007, MWC has replaced 2,974 kilometers of old pipelines, which is as long as the distance between Manila, Philippines and Beijing, China. This means that MWC has already renewed around 64% of the pipe network it inherited from the government in 2007, some segments of which were installed as far back as World War II.

Publicly-listed MWC is the largest private water concessionaire in the Philippines in terms of customer base.