THE Davao City Water District (DCWD) has posted P3.14 billion in total lost revenues for 2022 and 2023 due to water supply losses, government auditors said.
The Commission on Audit’s 2023 report on the country’s richest water district released on December 7, 2024 showed the DCWD’s non-revenue water (NRW) amounted to 46.364 million cubic meters in 2022 and 41.97 million cubic meters in 2023.
Based on the total water production of 128,265,604 cubic meters in 2022 and 126,935,948 cubic meters in 2023, the water district has been losing 34.6 percent of its water supply yearly.
Translated in currency terms, the 2022 losses hit P1.513 billion at P32.63 per cubic meter while the 2023 revenue loss was calculated at P1.657 billion with the billing rate of P39.47 per cubic meter.
By its assessment, the DCWD management said the major cause of NRW is leaks in its system, particularly in service areas where there are aging pipe systems that need replacements or upgrades.
It assured the COA that steps are already being taken to address the issues related to water losses with 10 projects already ongoing or about to start.
Among these are the P358.56 million “investigation, design, construction, and system proving of 112 District Metered Areas (DMAs)”; the P5.78 million installation of air valves in 80 locations; the P4.755 million mainline improvement at Gem Village and Don Julian Village in Talomo District; the P3.99 million mainline improvement at 7th Alley to Topaz Street in the Nabua and Maharlika Compounds; and the P3.39 million mainline improvement along Libby Road to Susana Homes also in Talomo District.
The DCWD said its activation of the Tamugan Project for better supply also increased water pressure and worsened existing leaks.
“The increased pressure can exacerbate weaknesses in aging pipes or fittings, causing more leaks to develop. Moreover, the higher the volume of water flowing through the system, the more difficult it is to identify and address leaks promptly,” the water district added.
The COA reminded the DCWD that the level of NRW is a performance indicator along with how the water district is managing the water loss or wastage.
It pointed out that under the guidelines set by the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA), the maximum allowable NRW is only 20 percent, which means the DCWD has been exceeding the limit for 2022 and 2023.
“We reiterate our previous audit recommendations to prioritize and fast-track the implementation of water loss reduction projects and periodically conduct a performance audit of water meters being used by customers for accuracy,” the COA said.
The management said it expects to continue reducing the percentage of water supply losses when the ongoing maintenance and upgrade projects are completed to achieve acceptable standards.