MIB plant upgrades to expand water supply in Iloilo

By Emme Rose Santiagudo, Correspondent
AS PART of its rehabilitation program, the Metro Iloilo Bulk Water Supply Corporation (MIB) started the upgrade of its water treatment plant in Sta. Barbara, Iloilo on Monday to expand the water supply within the franchise areas of the Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD).
“We assure the people of Metro Iloilo that this initiative will result in greater and bigger benefits as MIB commits to provide potable water supply to more and more Ilonggo,” engineer Rolixto V. Jodieres Jr., MIB chief operating officer, said.
The upgrade will boost the capacity of the water treatment facility from the current 37 million liters per day (MLD) capacity to 50 MLD.
Since the upgrade requires shutting down of the pump structures, service areas under the MIWD will experience intermittent low-pressure water supply throughout the repair period from February 26 to March 31.
Mr. Jodieres said the rehabilitation process requires the replacement of electrical and mechanical components of the existing water treatment plant with state-of-the-art facilities.
“The pump structure serves as the main source of raw supply for treatment process. It needs to upgrade the pump capacity and the hydraulic head. During the entire repair process, we tapped other bulk water suppliers in the city to ease the effect of low water pressure,” he said.
MIWD Chairman Dr. Jessica C. Salas said for her part, “We ask for the support of our consumers in Metro Iloilo as we work for the transformation of MIWD into a world-class water service provider. We also enjoin our local government units to support us in this initiative that aims to upgrade the quality of service of our water district.”
The upgrade is among the many development programs in the pipeline following the joint venture of MIWD and Metro Pacific Water Investments Corp. (Metro Pacific Water).
On December 6, 2018, Metro Pacific Water and the MIWD sealed a P12-billion joint venture agreement which aims to improve water distribution and septage management in Iloilo City and seven municipalities under MIWD’s service area.
The signing of the joint venture agreement paved the way for a 25-year concession aimed at ensuring a reliable, sustainable, and improved supply of quality water services in Iloilo.