Maynilad goes high-tech to detect pipe leaks

Maynilad Water Services Inc. is expanding the coverage of its detection system powered by artificial intelligence (AI) to immediately curb water losses due to pipe leaks.

In a statement on Wednesday, the concessionaire of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System’s West Zone said the monitoring coverage of its AI technology would be expanded to another 1,500 kilometers of pipelines after a successful pilot run late last year.

Maynilad said the pilot test covered 1,700 kms of water pipelines, leading to the identification of 1,525 leaks. The firm tapped Portugal-based AGS for the deployment of the AI technology dubbed Infrawise.

“Through this advanced AI technology, we can proactively identify and address potential leaks in our water distribution system,” said Randolph Estrellado, chief operations officer of Randolph Estrellado.

In a message to Inquirer, Jennifer Rufo, Maynilad’s corporate communications head, said the group has so far invested about P10 million in AI technology. The company said it was open to investing in other advanced technologies to complement current efforts on leak detection.

In May 2023, Maynilad said that it was losing around 1,105 million liters of water per day, or 40 percent of the allocation it was receiving from Angat Dam in Bulacan.

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Earlier this year, the group said it had earmarked P2.7 billion, which would be spent until 2027, to reduce water losses in the city of Manila alone.

The firm said they suffer the highest water loss in Manila, due to an aging pipe network as well as illegal connections.

Maynilad covers 17 cities and towns in Metro Manila and Cavite.