Mayor to MCWD: Cut water losses

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival has ordered the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) to reduce its non-revenue water (NRW) losses as the city prepares for the looming effects of Super El Niño.

The directive was issued during the regular meeting of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CCDRRMC), where Archival instructed the council secretariat to pass a resolution mandating MCWD to bring down its NRW rate.

Archival wants MCWD to reduce its NRW rate from 29 percent to at least 27 percent, stressing that unchecked leaks and wastage could further strain water supplies as reservoirs face declining levels during prolonged drought.

He also recommended that MCWD hire a third-party contractor to expedite pipeline repairs, noting that administrative handling alone has been too slow

Archival’s Chief of Staff Kenneth Siasar earlier underscored the seriousness of the leakage problem and urged residents to report visible water leaks from MCWD pipelines.

“Giawhag nato ang publiko, ang mga katawhan nga kun naa moy makita or maobserbahan nga tubig sa inyong palibot gikan sa tubo sa MCWD kun mahimo, e report dayon. Kay although dili na e charge sa consumer, pero mu menus man gud ang atoang stocks sa tubig para sa mga tawo,” Siasar said.

He added that the city would coordinate with the traffic management council to exempt MCWD from lengthy documentation requirements when pipeline repairs disrupt roads, allowing the utility to act more quickly.

The mayor’s directive builds on his earlier meetings with MCWD officials.

In March 2026, Archival met with MCWD General Manager John DX Lapid and pressed for a roadmap to address the utility’s water losses, pointing out that of the 300,000 cubic meters supplied daily, about 100,000 cubic meters are wasted.

Archival’s order also comes amid repeated warnings from the Commission on Audit (COA).

A 2022 COA audit found that MCWD lost 29.48 million cubic meters of water from 2020 to 2022, equivalent to about ?353 million over three years. NRW spiked to 49 percent after Typhoon Odette in 2021 before declining to 31 percent by April 2023.

MCWD has pledged to reduce its NRW rate to 25 percent by 2026 and 20 percent by 2027.

The Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) has set 20 percent as the allowable threshold, leaving MCWD’s current rate well above the benchmark.

LWUA has repeatedly reminded water districts nationwide that losses beyond this level are excessive and indicate inefficiency. National data show that only about one in 10 water districts meet the 20 percent benchmark, with many recording rates above 30 percent.

The CCDRRMC meeting also tackled a broad agenda, including updates on weather and El Niño forecasts; contingency plans for earthquakes, floods, landslides, and fires; seismic risk assessments by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS); procurement of life-support training equipment; and consultancy services for the Local Climate Change Action Plan in coordination with the Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has confirmed that a strong El Niño is developing and is expected to peak from October to December 2026, with way-below-normal rainfall forecast across the Visayas and much of the country.

PAGASA warned that rainfall reductions could reach 60 percent of monthly averages and extend into the first half of 2027. Record-breaking temperatures and high heat indices are also possible, compounding the risk of water scarcity.(CEBU NEWS)