Maynilad Water Services Inc. is investing about P7.7 billion this year to further cut water losses across its network, improve system efficiency, and recover lost supply.

At a media briefing on Tuesday, Maynilad Central NRW head Engr. Ryan B. Jamora said the allocation forms part of the company’s government-approved Business Plan for 2023 to 2027.

Detecting underground leaks

Jamora led a “Walk-the-Line” inspection in barangays Bungad and Paltok, Quezon City, where he demonstrated how Maynilad detects hidden underground leaks under its non-revenue water (NRW) reduction program.

The program aims to reduce NRW — water that is produced but not billed — to 29 percent by the end of the year and further down to 25 percent by 2027.

“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 added.

Investment built on 2025 gains

The fresh investment builds on gains made last year. The West Zone concessionaire closed the year with an NRW level of 30.7 percent, down from 38.4 percent in December 2024.

The 7.7 percentage-point decline translated to 256 million liters per day of recovered water — enough to serve the daily needs of more than 1.6 million people.

For the full year, Maynilad posted an average NRW of 34.9 percent, marking a five percentage-point improvement from 2024.

The company said the reduction was driven by the repair of more than 70,000 small leaks, the fixing of 206 large pipe leaks, and the replacement of 82 kilometers of aging pipelines in high-loss areas in 2025.