Urbanization and increasing number of water service connection comes with the dilemma of water wastage – also known as, Non-Revenue Water or NRW. NRW is water that does not make it from point A (source) to point B (consumer) which is considered lost and unaccounted for. It is usually caused by pipe leaks, broken or tampered meters, and other factors. In 2012, it was recorded by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) that 70% of the country’s available water of 160 billion cubic meters per year is wasted or lost. With this, water service providers are taking preventive measures to avoid further wastage.

The Metropolitan Naga Water District (MNWD) is not only tasked to provide to the water needs of consumers within its coverage area, but also to protect and conserve such scarce resource. In order to do this, the District implements a regular Night Flow Meter Reading for NRW management.

Night Flow Meter Reading is a method in measuring real water loss or leakage level that greatly affects the quality and amount of water that is being supplied to the consuming public. It ensures the balance of the volume of water that goes in and what goes out in a certain isolated metered area. It is usually done during nighttime because the consumers’ demand or usage flow is at minimum, therefore any leakage around those hours may be detected.

Now, why is this important? Proper NRW management not only aims at detecting leaks but it is also leaning towards the improvement of service, reduce costs and energy consumption, above all, it increases climate resilience.

MNWD regularly monitors leakage to lessen, if not eradicate, the challenges of water loss, such as intermittent supply and water potability. It benefits not only the District, but more importantly the consumers and their access to sufficient water supply. (YMMSavilla)

With the regularity of Night Flow Meter Reading, a total of 120 activities were already conducted as of May 2021.

NRW management through Night Flow Meter Reading demands extra effort from our MNWD personnel, as monitoring takes place around 8pm until 2am to detect any leakage from water pipelines.