The Cagayan de Oro Water District (COWD) will be needing more than P1 billion to replace and rehabilitate decades-old water pipes, and install water storage facilities, an interim official of COWD said on Friday, October 4, 2024.

This is based on COWD’s Five-year Development Plan.

Four months after the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) took over, the appointed interim officials of COWD admitted that they had a hard time solving the issue on non-revenue water due to the leakage problem caused by the deteriorating water pipelines.

Based on study, some pipelines in most parts of the city have existed for nearly 50 years.

Other pipes have already burst, which contributed to non-revenue water.

Recently, COWD personnel have conducted leak repair works, which caused water interruptions affecting several areas in the city.

COWD Interim General Manager, Fermin Jarales, said they are already addressing the problem on non-revenue water.

COWD is also set to conduct water security summit to shed light on the problem and other issues.