This document discusses non-revenue water (NRW) and strategies to reduce it. NRW refers to water lost before it can be billed to customers, including physical losses through leaks and commercial losses from unauthorized use. Sri Lanka currently has an NRW rate of 35%, costing millions per day. Successful NRW reduction projects in other countries are highlighted. Key strategies proposed to reduce NRW include implementing proper pipe laying and house connection practices, identifying high-loss areas through mapping and surveys, and conducting routine leak detection and maintenance through establishing district metered areas. Reducing NRW can help postpone infrastructure investments, lower costs, and increase water access.

1. 28th April 2023

2. Non Revenue Water
Reduction

3. What is meant By NRW?
**Waterquantity,whichisnotaccounting forbilling…
Commercial
Buildings
Apartments
Hospital & Other
Government
Buildings
Tanks
Industrial Building
Domestic Houses
Domestic Houses
Water Treatment Plant
“The difference
between the
volume of
water put into
a water
distribution
system and the
volume that is
billed to
customers”

4. Components of NRW
**TherearethreemaincomponentsinNRW…
NRW
Physical (or Real)
Losses
Commercial
(or Apparent)
Losses
Unbilled Authorized
Consumption

5. Due to the NRW, Sri Lanka loss Millions
of Rupees per Day!!!
We & World
• Singapore – 5% (in year 2010)
When considering the total production &
Billed Water Quantity, As a Percentage;
1. Data of most utilities are unaudited and may be misleading.
2. Only some of the utilities have continuous supply—in all other cases NRW would be significantly higher when the system in its current
condition would be supplied on a continuous basis.
• Germany & Japan - 6% (in year 2005)
• United Kingdome - 19.5% (in year 2005)
• Sri Lanka – 35% (in year 2017)

6. Impact of NRW to the NWSDB
Expanding
water networks
without
addressing
water
losses will only
lead to a cycle
of waste and
inefficiency….
Until we not take action to
Reduce NRW
Source: R. Liemberger.

7. Impact of NRW to the NWSDB
If we take actions to
Reduce NRW
Source: R. Liemberger.
Reducing
physical losses
will not only help
postpone capital
investments for
developing new
water sources,
it will also help
reduce a utility’s
electricity bill…

8. 55%
16%
Manila- Water
Source: Asian Development Bank and Institute of Water Policy, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. (2010). Every drop counts: Learning from
good practices in eight Asian cities. Mandaluyong City, Philippines: ADB and IWP-LKYSP
Is it Possible to reduce the NRW…?
As per the 2010 ADB report…
East Manila, Philippines,
from 63% in 1997 to
16% in 2009 by the
private utility Manila
Water

9. Successful NRW Reduction Projects
1. Istanbul, Turkey, from more than 50% prior to 1994 to 34% in 2000 by the public utility ISKI
2. Jamshedpur, India, from an estimated 36% in 2005 to 10% in 2009 by the private utility
Jamshedpur Utilities and Services Company
3. Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from 72% in 1993 to 6% in 2008 by the public utility Phnom Penh
Water Supply Authority (PPWSA)
4. Five municipalities in Rio de Janeiro State (Prolagos), Brazil, from 60% in 2000 to 36% in 2006
by a private utility
5. Rabat, Morocco, from 32% in 2002 to 19% in 2008 by the private utility REDAL
6. Tangiers, Morocco from 41% in 2002 to 21% in 2008 by the private utility Amendis.
7. 8 districts in Johor State, Malaysia, from 38% in 2004 to 29% in 2011 by the private utility Ranhill
Utilities
8. Western part of Metro Manila, Philippines, NRW was reduced from 1,580 million liters per day in
2008 to 650 million liters per day in 2014 in cooperation with the private utility Miya.
Likethis,TherearesomanySuccessstories…..

10. What Can We Do?
1. Physical (or Real) Losses
“One of the problems that can be addressed is the lack
of NRW management in engineering curricula at colleges
and universities…”
2. Commercial (or Apparent) Losses
Reducing of : -

11. Physical Losses
Proactive measures
Proper pipe laying practices
Proper House Connection practices
Record keeping and identify cause of leak
Identify NRW vulnerable areas & routine maintenance

12. How to Reduce?
Proper Pipe Laying Practices

13. How to Reduce?
Proper Pipe Laying Practices

14. How to Reduce?
Proper House Connection Practices

15. How to Reduce?
Proper House Connection Practices

16. How to Reduce?
Record Keeping & Identify Cause of Leak
1. Should attractive to customer’s
 Consumer manual
 Awareness leaflet
 Applicant database and monitor the progress of H/C process
2. House connection implementation process
 Quality service
 In time
 Consumer participation for monitoring of quality
 Reporting formats ensure quality and asset management database
 Advise consumer on internal plumbing , storage tank etc.
Avoid trenching by consumer (ethics, professionalism, safety)
It is not safe, dangerous, low quality

17. How to Reduce?
Record Keeping & Identify Cause of Leak

18. How to Reduce?
Record Keeping & Identify Cause of Leak

19. How to Reduce?
Identify NRW vulnerable areas & routine maintenance
o Establish District meter zones
o Conduct night flow studies
o Map leak locations
o Conduct water use survey (to find out illegal tapping etc)

20. How to Reduce?
• Typical DMA Zone

21. 42
“Reducing NRW will
also make more
water available and
enable water
utilities to increase
coverage, including
to poor
communities…”