West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. (Maynilad) recovered approximately 560,000 cubic meters of potable water lost due to illegal connections.

This recovery followed the implementation of 6,900 anti-illegal operations from January to August 2024, targeting unauthorized water connections, tampered meters, and unregistered lines across its service area.

This recovered volume of water is sufficient to meet the daily needs of approximately 3,500 water service connections, enhancing supply availability and pressure for legitimate Maynilad customers. Furthermore, this initiative generated P62 million in revenue, as violators were required to pay penalties and reconnect legally to the Maynilad water network.

Maynilad attributes the success of this initiative to the cooperation of local government units (LGUs), whose assistance was instrumental in enforcing the anti-illegal water campaign. Since 2016, Maynilad has successfully closed nearly 25,000 illegal water service connections, reducing losses and improving service delivery to legitimate customers.

“Our efforts to crack down on illegal water connections not only prevent the possible entry of contaminants in the system but also ensure that all customers receive their fair share of the water supply,” said Maynilad Customer Experience and Retail Operations Head Christopher J. Lichauco. “We are grateful for the support of the LGUs in our campaign to uphold water equity and discourage illegal activities.”

The closure of illegal connections form part of Maynilad’s Non-Revenue Water (NRW) Management Program, which aims to bring down “physical” (i.e., from pipe leaks) and “commercial” (i.e., from water theft and unregistered consumption) losses. NRW is defined as the gap between the amount of water put into the distribution system and the amount of water for which customers are actually billed. Around 92 percent of water losses in the West Zone are due to physical losses, while the remaining 8 percent are due to commercial losses.

Maynilad is the largest private water concessionaire of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) in the Philippines, boasting the largest customer base. Its service area encompasses the cities of Manila (excluding portions of San Andres and Sta. Ana), Quezon City, Makati, Caloocan, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Valenzuela, Navotas, and Malabon in Metro Manila, as well as the cities of Cavite, Bacoor, and Imus, along with the towns of Kawit, Noveleta, and Rosario in Cavite province.