Iligan loses over half of its tap water to pipe leaks, audit report shows

MANILA, Philippines – State auditors have called out the Iligan City Waterworks System (ICWS) for losing more than half of the water it produces due to leaks.

The situation in Iligan, ironically dubbed as the “City of Majestic Waterfalls,” has worsened to the point where an audit team discovered a small tilapia pond built by residents to utilize water from a leaking ICWS pipe in the village of Ubaldo Laya.

In a 94-page report released on February 14, the Commission on Audit (COA) revealed that only 53.6 million liters out of the 150.7 million liters produced by ICWS reach households and other establishments in Iligan daily.

Auditors noted that 97 million liters of water are lost daily due to leaking old pipes, which remain unrepaired due to ICWS’ losses. These daily water losses account for 64% of ICWS’ non-revenue water.

According to Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) standards, non-revenue water exceeding 25% of production is considered “excessive” and warrants immediate survey and repair efforts.

Out of 941 respondents across 26 barangays surveyed, 770, or 81.8%, told the audit team that they were experiencing frequent water supply disruptions, with 72 households facing daily shortages.

ICWS officials admitted that water losses resulted from leaks in aging underground pipes, which could not be located due to limited manpower and equipment.

Despite the agency’s efforts to persuade the city government to allocate funds for necessary network rehabilitation, no support was received.

The report stemmed from an audit conducted between April and December 2023 by a COA team investigating Iligan’s water supply issues, collaborating with various private entities under the commission’s initiative to engage citizens in government project audits. – Rappler.com