WEST Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. said Wednesday that it had strengthened its water supply and risk mitigation measures to better respond to the possible effects of an extreme El Niño and lower raw water allocation as Angat Dam levels continue to decline.
It said that water supply in its service area remained stable and that it continued to work with stakeholders and concerned agencies to craft a coordinated response to evolving water supply conditions.
“Maynilad recognizes the concern over the continued decline in Angat Dam levels and the possible effects of El Niño. We have been preparing for these circumstances since previous El Niño episodes, particularly in 2019, when Angat Dam dropped to its historical low level,” Maynilad Chief Operating Officer Christopher Jaime Lichauco said.
“The Maynilad system today has more buffers than it had in 2019. Angat Dam remains our main raw water source, but we now have more supplemental sources, lower water losses, expanded storage, and improved network management capabilities to help manage tighter raw water conditions,” he added.
Maynilad said it had increased total treatment capacity to 2,873 million liters per day (MLD) this year from 2,700 million MLD in 2019, supported by additional treatment facilities and supply augmentation projects.
It also added 88 million liters in reservoir capacity since 2019, from 692 million liters to the current 780 million liters, to help augment available water supply.
Maynilad said total reservoir capacity this year was projected to reach 1,020 million liters with the expected completion of the 40-million-liter Parada reservoir and the 200-million-liter La Mesa raw water reservoir before the end of 2026.
The water concessionaire also reported progress in its non-revenue water (NRW) reduction program. Maynilad said it had reduced its average NRW to 32 percent as of the first quarter, thanks to leak detection and repair, pipe replacement, meter management, pressure regulation and network efficiency measures.
Pressure management and network optimization measures are also ongoing to help move available supply more efficiently across its network, complemented by standby support measures such as mobile water tankers and stationary water tanks for deployment to affected communities.
“While the severity and duration of El Niño will ultimately depend on weather patterns and raw water availability, we will continue to implement appropriate measures to protect service reliability as conditions evolve,” Lichauco said.
Maynilad shares on Wednesday rose P0.20, or 1.03 percent, to close at P19.60 apiece.