West zone’s Maynilad earmarks P10 billion for new Laguna Lake water treatment plant

MAYNILAD Water Services, Inc. is setting aside P10 billion to build a third treatment plant for raw water sourced from Laguna Lake, the company said on Tuesday.

“We are doing everything we can to meet our service obligations to our customers. So although we have to recast our five-year investment program, we still have to pursue projects essential for meeting the water supply requirements of a growing population,” said Maynilad President and Chief Executive Officer Ramoncito S. Fernandez in a statement.

Metro Manila’s west zone concessionaire said the water treatment plant will be built in Poblacion, Muntinlupa, and is targeted to produce 150 million liters per day (MLD) of potable water.

Maynilad said the water from the treatment plant is enough to meet the needs of about 150,000 households by the last quarter of 2022, the completion period. It said the facility will bring the concessionaire’s total yield from Laguna Lake to 450 MLD.

“It is a huge risk to rely on just Angat Dam as major source of raw water for Metro Manila, so we are working closely with the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) so that the development of another source can be facilitated,” Mr. Fernandez said.

Maynilad said it had began tapping Laguna Lake in 2010 as an alternative raw water source so it can reduce its reliance on Angat Dam. The new plant adds to its first two facilities in the area that produces a combined 300 MLD.

The company said the Poblacion water treatment plant will also be equipped with treatment technologies that effectively convert water from Laguna Lake into potable water. It said the technologies include dissolved air flotation, biological activated filtration, ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, and chlorination.

“Once this facility is completed, Maynilad will have a total of five water treatment plants with a combined production capacity of about 2,850 MLD for its over 9.7 million customers,” the company said.

Maynilad, a concessionaire of the state-led MWSS, serves the cities of Manila, except portions of San Andres and Sta. Ana. It also covers Quezon City west of San Juan River, West Avenue, EDSA, Congressional, Mindanao Avenue, the northern part starting from the districts of the Holy Spirit and Batasan Hills.

Down south, it serves Makati west of South Super Highway, Caloocan, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Valenzuela, Navotas and Malabon all in Metro Manila; and the cities of Cavite, Bacoor and Imus, and the towns of Kawit, Noveleta and Rosario, all in Cavite province.

Metro Pacific Investments Corp., which has majority stake in Maynilad, is one of three Philippine units of Hong Kong-based First Pacific, the others being Philex Mining Corp. and PLDT Inc.

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Victor V. Saulon