Maynilad raises budget for NRW recovery program

MANILA, Philippines - Maynilad Water Services Inc. (Maynilad) has increased its budget allocation for its non-revenue water (NRW) recovery program this year to P2.134 billion from P1.4 billion in 2012.

Maynilad’s NRW reduction program includes meter and pressure management, active leakage control, primary line assessment, selective pipe replacement, and district metered areas (DMA) management.

In a statement, the company, a joint venture between Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) and DMCI Holdings Inc., said it has recovered over 600 million liters of water per day (MLD) since it started its campaign against water loss in 2008, a volume enough to supply 600,000 households.

Maynilad said that continued implementation of its NRW recovery program resulted in the repair of more than 45,000 leaks in 2012, bringing its total number of leaks repaired to over 150,000 since 2008.

Since 2008, Maynilad was also able to replace a total of 940 kilometers of pipes in several areas of the West Zone, particularly in Central Manila where water loss was highest.

Maynilad likewise recently completed the establishment of 1,271 DMAs, which provides 100-percent DMA coverage of the West Zone.

By dividing the concession area into smaller, hydraulically separate areas or DMAs, Maynilad was better able to monitor leaks and identify causes of low water pressure.

 â€œRecovering 601 MLD of water in just five years is proof positive that Maynilad’s NRW reduction campaign is working. We may have inherited old and leaky pipelines in 2007, but that only fueled our determination to find innovative solutions in making our pipe system more efficient,” said Maynilad president and CEO Ricky P. Vargas.

MPIC and DMCI took over control of the concessionaire from the Lopez family in 2007.

Maynilad services the cities of Manila (all but portions of San Andres and Sta. Ana), Quezon City (west of San Juan River, West Avenue, EDSA, Congressional, Mindanao Avenue, the northern part starting from the Districts of the Holy Spirit and Batasan Hills), 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.