THE Commission on Audit has called out the Leyte Metropolitan Water District (LMWD) for incurring excessive water losses for two straight years, far above the maximum rate allowed under the rules of the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA).
In its 15-page Compliance Audit released last March 10, the COA reported that the LMWD lost 35.7 percent of its total water production in 2023 and 34.6 percent in 2024. The LWUA sets the limit at only 20 percent.
Based on yearly production figures, total water drawn and distributed by the water district ranged from 22.5 million cubic meters to 23.5 million cubic meters each year for the past 10 years.
Average daily production was estimated at 60,000 cubic meters mainly from Plant 1 located at Barangay Hibunawon in the municipality of Jaro and Plant 2 in Barangay Tingib in Pastrana.
This means the LMWD is losing around 8 million to 8.2 million cubic meters of water production each year.
The water district’s management explained that the operations of the water supply and distribution have been taken over by Primewater Infrastructure Corp. after the signing of a Joint Venture Agreement in 2019.
LMWD supplies the water needs of Tacloban City and the municipalities of Palo, Tanauan, Tolosa, Sta. Fe, Pastrana, Tabon-tabon, and Dagami.
