Maynilad allots P4B to plug pipeline leaks
MANILA -Water concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. (Maynilad) has earmarked P4 billion this year to reduce water losses and recover more supply for millions of consumers as the country braces for the impending El Niño phenomenon.
This is a 25-percent increase from last year’s nonrevenue water (NRW) capital expenditure of P3.2 billion, Maynilad said on Monday.
NRW refers to supply that does not reach consumers, such as those lost from pipeline leaks and illegal connections.
“We are accelerating our NRW management projects this year so that we can recover more water supply for distribution to customers, in preparation for El Niño,” said Randolph Estrellado, Maynilad chief operating officer.
Intensified water loss reduction initiatives in the first quarter of the year resulted in 47 million liters per day (MLD) of recovered water, according to Maynilad. This is enough to meet the supply requirements of some 241,000 people, it added.
Maynilad recently replaced 31 kilometers of old pipelines and repaired 7,832 leaks in Manila, Muntinlupa, Las Piñas and Quezon cities to increase the volume of recovered water.
The west zone concessionaire also announced in April that it would implement various supply augmentation projects, which would produce around 163 MLD of additional water supply from alternate sources.
These include the reactivation of 45 deep wells across Maynilad’s concession area and tapping additional cross-border points with east zone concessionaire Manila Water Co. Inc.
Additional water generated from these projects will improve supply reliability for around 700,000 Maynilad customers. INQ
