Maynilad earmarks P7.7B to cut water losses

West zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. is investing P7.7 billion for non-revenue water (NRW) management initiatives this year to cut water losses and maximize water supply across its franchise area.

Following the leak detection activities Quezon City on Tuesday, during which Maynilad provided operational context how underground leaks are identified and addressed within active urban environments, Maynilad Central NRW Head Engr. Ryan Jamora said reducing water losses enables utilities to make more treated water available to customers without immediately developing new water sources.

For this year, Maynilad is targeting to NRW or water losses to 29% from an average 34.9% in 2025.

“Recovering water through NRW reduction helps us optimize existing infrastructure and improve overall system efficiency,” Jamora said.

“Much of this work happens underground through continuous monitoring and early leak detection before problems become visible at the surface,” he said.

Likewise, in 2025, the company recovered about 256 million liters per day (MLD) of water through intensified leak detection, pipe replacement, pressure management, and network monitoring interventions — an amount equivalent to the output of a major water treatment plant, or nearly the combined production of two of Maynilad’s southern water treatment facilities.

For 2026, NRW initiatives will support selective pipe replacement in high-loss areas, expanded leakage control activities, network diagnostics, and the continued evaluation of emerging technologies designed to improve leak localization and field response efficiency.

Under its business plan, Maynilad is targeting to reduce NRW levels to 25% by 2027 and 20% by 2030, consistent with regulatory commitments and the company’s long-term service reliability and sustainability objectives. — BAP, GMA Integrated News

The 20% NRW level is widely recognized in the water industry as an efficient benchmark for large urban utilities, where further reductions may require disproportionately higher investment relative to incremental water recovery.