West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (Maynilad) has spent P410 million for the installation of pressure-regulating valves (PRV) in select points of its distribution system to manage water pressure in the network and optimize supply availability for customers.
The water company started using this technology in 2011 and now has 1,200 PRVs across its concession area. PRVs serve to equalize pressure in the network, enabling Maynilad to spread out the water supply to a wider area without putting undue stress on the piping system. PRVs also automatically lower pressure during off-peak hours, thus helping to reduce water losses while also making supply distribution more energy efficient.
“The use of PRVs gives us better control of water flow in the pipelines. We can reduce excessive pressure at night during low-demand hours and redirect that pressure to fill up our reservoirs in preparation for peak demand by daytime,†said Maynilad Chief Operating Officer Randolph T. Estrellado.
To date, around 85% of Maynilad’s distribution system is already covered with PRVs. The water company aims to attain full PRV coverage by 2026.
The installation of PRVs is part of Maynilad’s Non-Revenue Water Management program, which seeks to manage losses in the network through selective pipe replacement, active leakage control, network diagnostics, replacement of old water meters, and establishment of District Metered Areas.
Maynilad is the largest private water concessionaire in the Philippines in terms of customer base. It is the concessionaire of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) for the West Zone of the Greater Manila Area, which is composed of the cities of Manila (certain portions), Quezon City (certain portions), Makati (west of South Super Highway), Caloocan, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Valenzuela, Navotas and, Malabon, all in Metro Manila; the cities of Cavite, Bacoor and Imus, and the towns of Kawit, Noveleta, and Rosario, all in Cavite Province.