Maynilad plugs more pipe leaks

MANILA, Philippines — West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. has plugged over 27,000 pipe leaks in the third quarter of 2023 to further cut water losses.

The repaired pipe leaks were located mostly in Quezon City, Caloocan and Manila, Maynilad said in a statement yesterday.

This brings the company’s total leak repairs to 485,319 since 2007.

Leak repair is a vital component of Maynilad’s Non-Revenue Water (NRW) Management Program, which seeks to reduce physical and commercial water losses.

“Given the need to recover more water supply for distribution during the El Niño phenomenon, we have increased our manpower complement this year so we can implement leak detection and repairs,” Maynilad chief operating officer Randolph Estrellado said.

“We thank the local government units for speeding up the issuance of the required permits for these activities,” he added.

Around 80 percent of Maynilad’s water losses are due to leaks. The rest are losses due to inaccurate water metering and illegal connections.

The company targets to reach the 25 percent NRW level the World Bank recommended by 2027.

To meet this target, Maynilad said it is spending around P16.5 billion from 2023 to 2027 to further reduce water losses.

For this year alone, the company allotted almost P4 billion for its NRW Management Program, of which around P449 million was dedicated for leak repairs.