Water is the essential ingredient for life on this planet. We use water in all aspects of life. Water is life. Without water, we all die. We qualify it some more, clean water is essential to life. Without clean water, we might as well die. But we do take having adequate clean water for granted. It’s time for some fact checking.

Like most resources, clean water is increasingly becoming a scarce one. To date, 2 billion people lack access to clean water and 1 billion people do not have enough to even meet their daily needs according to the World Bank and World Health Organization.

Did you know that access to adequate clean water has positive impact on the following?

Education?

When students are freed from gathering water, they return to class. With proper and safe latrines, girls stay in school through their teenage years. An estimated 122 million youth globally are illiterate, of which young women represent 60.7%.

Hunger?

Access to water leads to food security. With less crop loss, hunger is reduced. Schools can feed students with gardens, reducing costs.

Health?

Safe water, clean hands, healthy bodies. Time lost to sickness is reduced and people can get back to the work of lifting themselves out of poverty.

Poverty?

Access to water can break the cycle of poverty. The communities given clean water are ready to grow.

This is all according to The Water Project Inc.

Yet, we take it for granted, we waste it, and we even pay too much to drink it from little plastic bottles.

WHAT DOES MNWD DO ABOUT THIS?

Your local water district, the Metropolitan Naga Water District (MNWD), takes rigorous measures to address this dwindling precious resource through its Non-Revenue Water Reduction Program.

What is Non-Revenue Water then? Non-revenue water is the difference between the volume of water put into a water distribution system and the volume that is billed to customers. NRW comprises three components: Physical (or real) losses, Commercial (or apparent) losses, and Unbilled Authorized Consumption.

• Physical losses comprise of leakages from all parts of the system.

• Commercial losses are caused by customer meter under registration, data-handling errors, and theft of water in various forms.

• Unbilled authorized consumption include water used by the utility for operational purposes, water used for firefighting, and water provided for free to certain consumer groups.

The Pipeline, Leakage Control and Non-Revenue Water Management Division (PLC & NRWMD) of MNWD spearheaded the program with the support of the District’s other divisions – the Commercial Services Division among others. Among the activities being managed are the leakage repair from the transmission, distribution, mainline, and lateral lines down to customer’s service connection; water meter testing to ensure the efficiency of water meters through the Utility Service Analyzer – a digital water meter testing Instrument; replacement of defective meters, meter cleaning and proper positioning for accurate meter readings; replacement of ageing water meters; regular meter reading of commercial establishments’ consumption; regular transmission line inspection and maintenance; and exploration of illegal connections.

In-house Meter Calibration. Water Meter Calibration is done in the MNWD office, where batches of water meters are calibrated to ensure its efficiency by personnel from the PLC & NRWMD.

Water meter field testing. Water meter testing is done through the Utility Service Analyzer – a digital water meter testing Instrument (bottom), as well as a traditional water meter testing (top).

To add, leak detections are being conducted by our leak detection personnel in the stillness of the night and during siestas wherein there is a minimal use of water making it easier for the plumbers to hear and detect leaks through the help of new equipment. The group also conduct massive street by street leak detections underneath drainages.

In the stillness of the night. Leak detections are being conducted by our leak detection personnel at night wherein there is a minimal use of water making it easier for the plumbers to hear and detect leaks through the help of new equipment.

Working tirelessly despite the cold. MNWD plumbers excavate the area to repair the massive pipe leakage.

Once leakages are detected, our plumbers excavate the area, expose the leak and repair it. For service connection leaks, our plumbers seek the possible owner of the service line, for information.

HOW CAN A REDUCED NRW HELP US?

Among the benefits we will gain once the NRW is reduced to acceptable limit are:

• Treated water would be available to service customers;

• More people could gain access to clean water supply;

• Fairness would be promoted among users by acting against illegal connections;

• Consumers would have an improved service delivered by more efficient and more sustainable utilities;

• And more economic growth with new business opportunities.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

As the saying goes “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much” – Helen Keller. Our beloved customers, men and women alike, as our partners in development have big roles to fulfill in this endeavor. Your help and cooperation is greatly needed in reducing NRW by saving water; reporting leakages and malfunctioning water meters; and reporting illegal connections.

Please report leaks, malfunctioning water meters, and illegal connections

Reference:
www.arlingtoninstitute.org
www.thewaterproject.org
www.worldbank.org-the challenge of reducing NRW