ZAMBOANGA CITY - The Zamboanga City Water District (ZCWD) is replacing its old distribution pipes within the city proper to resolve water losses. The project, dubbed Mainline Replacement Program Phase 1, will cover the five downtown villages of Barangays Zone 1, 2, 3, 4, and Camino Nuevo. James Cesar Makasiar, ZCWD Board chairperson, said Saturday the project will cost PHP20 million representing 25 percent of the PHP80-million grant from the city government. The grant to rehabilitate the mainlines downtown came from the city's supplemental budget. "As the city has grown in leaps and bounds, ZCWD has deemed it necessary to condemn and replace the town's antiquated system with bigger and newer pipes," Makasiar said in a statement. "This will mean better quality of water, consistent supply pressure, and reduction of water losses, known as non-revenue water (NRW)," he added. The NRW is water that has been produced and is "lost" before it reaches the customer. Leonardo Rey Vasquez, ZCWD general manager, said the NRW for the downtown area alone is estimated at about 72 percent of the water dedicated for the city proper. Vasquez expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the financial assistance of the city government through the initiative of Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar and Vice Mayor Rommel Agan. (PNA) }