Mayor Marvin Malacon and AIDFI co-founder and chief executive officer Auke Idzenga (3rd and 4th from left) after the signing of the MOA.*
E. B. Magalona in Negros Occidental is engaging in a two-year study with a non-government organization to address non-revenue water (NRW) losses and to improve services to consumers.
Mayor Marvin Malacon on Monday, March 17, said the collaboration will be implemented through a memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed between the E. B. Magalona Waterworks Office (EBMWO) and the Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation Inc. (AIDFI).
“AIDFI shall assist the EBMWO in developing a comprehensive and holistic program for the management of NRW that will be funded by the Coca-Cola Foundation,” he said.
Under the agreement, both parties will develop the NRW management plan to guide the EBMWO in “properly managing and minimizing its NRW losses.”
The collaborative study will run until Dec. 31, 2026 after the signing of the MOA on March 6.
It will start with four EBMWO employees attending a training-workshop at the Maynilad Water Academy.
They will act as a dedicated team that will collaborate with the AIDFI, starting from the training up to the development of the NRW management plan.
During the study, EBMWO representatives will assist AIDFI and Maynilad Water Academy personnel in the conduct of scanning and survey of the water distribution system, household survey, leak detection, flow measuring, and other related activities.
Meanwhile, the Coca-Cola Foundation has partnered with AIDFI to collaborate with five select waterworks offices in Negros Occidental in the development of the NRW management program.*PNA