WEST ZONE concessionaire Maynilad Water Services, Inc. is earmarking around P7.7 billion for initiatives to cut back water losses and maximize available water supply across its service areas.
In a briefing on Tuesday, Ryan B. Zamora, Maynilad’s head for Central Non-Revenue Water (NRW), said a lot of the allocated investment will likely be used for pipe alternative.
“Recovering water through NRW reduction helps us optimize existing infrastructure and improve overall system efficiency,” Mr. Zamora said. “Much of this work happens underground through continuous monitoring and early leak detection before problems change into visible on the surface.”
For 2026, NRW initiatives will support pipe alternative in high-loss areas, expanded leakage control activities, network diagnostics, and the continued evaluation of emerging technologies.
NRW refers to water that isn’t billed and is lost as a consequence of leaks or illegal connections.
The budget is an element of Maynilad’s planned investment of as much as P20.65 billion from 2025 to 2027 to cut back water losses.
The corporate ended 2025 with an NRW level of 30.7%, down from 38.4% in December 2024. The reduction translates to about 256 million liters per day of recovered water — enough to satisfy the day by day needs of greater than 1.6 million customers.
Maynilad goals to lower its average NRW level to 29% this 12 months and reach 20% by 2030 through sustained infrastructure investment, system monitoring, and targeted network rehabilitation programs.
“A crucial aspect of NRW is water conservation, to be sure that the subsequent generations will still inherit and can have the ability to make use of a correct water system,” Mr. Zamora said in Filipino.
Last 12 months, Maynilad identified 35,000 underground leaks and repaired 71,000 underground and surface leaks. Mr. Zamora said aging pipelines and coastal exposure were among the many predominant causes of pipe deterioration.
Reducing NRW involves complex operating conditions, including dense environments with limited excavation access, ongoing road and drainage construction, and extensive permitting and traffic coordination requirements.
The corporate currently uses electronic listening devices, ground microphones, and in-line inspection tools to pinpoint underground pipe leaks.
Maynilad serves Manila (except portions of San Andres and Sta. Ana), and likewise operates in Quezon City, Makati, Caloocan, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Valenzuela, Navotas, and Malabon. It supplies the cities of Cavite, Bacoor, and Imus, and the towns of Kawit, Noveleta, and Rosario in Cavite province.
Metro Pacific Investments Corp., Maynilad’s majority shareholder, is considered one of three Philippine subsidiaries of First Pacific Co. Ltd., alongside Philex Mining Corp. and PLDT Inc.
Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Helpful Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., holds an interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera