Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (Maynilad) has established 904 new district metered areas (DMA) throughout the West Zone since 2008, bringing its total to 1,035 DMAs as of September this year.
DMAs are small hydraulically discrete zones where water flowing inside can be precisely measured and compared with metered water use. By dividing the West Zone into smaller units, Maynilad is able to diagnose problems in each DMA and determine the most efficient solutions.
The establishment of DMAs assisted Maynilad in isolating and repairing leaks, leading to 144,942 leak repairs done from 2008 to September 2012.
Maynilad used cost-efficient methodologies instead of total pipe replacements to lessen inconvenience to motorists while implementing leak repairs. Some of the modern technologies used include the Sahara® mobile leak detection system; Aquascan Trunk Main (TM) leak noise correlator and an automatic pressure-regulating device (I2O), which help manage excessive pressure in the pipe system; Tyfo® Fibrwrap® Pipe Rehabilitation System, which minimizes road excavations by allowing leak repair from inside the mainlines; and the D7 LDS2010 “Investigator”, a CCTV acoustic leak detection system that enables pressurised inspection of small-diameter pipes without interrupting water service.
“When new owners took over Maynilad in 2007, we inherited a vast distribution network with very poor pipe conditions which would have been more difficult to manage as a whole. By splitting our service area into smaller, more manageable units, we were able to achieve better results in our aggressive fight against non-revenue water (NRW),” said Maynilad President and CEO Ricky P. Vargas.
After launching one of the largest and most ambitious NRW reduction programs in Asia, Maynilad successfully brought down its NRW level from 66% by the end of 2006 to 42% by the end of September 2012. Meanwhile, the average NRW within DMAs is at 36%.
For 2012 alone, the water company has set aside nearly P1.4 billion to reduce NRW across its concession area.
Maynilad is owned by the Metro Pacific Investments, Inc. (MPIC) and DMCI Holdings, Inc. (DMCIHI). It is a concessionaire of the MWSS for the West Zone of the Greater Manila Area, which is composed of the cities of Manila (all but portions of San Andres & 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 & 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 Bacoor, Cavite, and Imus, and the towns of Kawit, Noveleta and Rosario, all in Cavite Province.