MAYNILAD WATER Services, Inc. has backed the development of Kaliwa Dam, calling the new water source as a “viable long-term solution” to the shortage suffered by Metro Manila residents. The China-funded project, which has been issued an environmental compliance certificate by the Department of Environment And Natural Resources, faces opposition from local communities, environmental groups and some legislators. Maynilad’s expression of support for Kaliwa Dam comes after the company started implementing water rationing last week as the water in Angat Dam has fallen below normal level. “As a water distributor, Maynilad can only distribute the water volume that it receives from existing raw water sources. The government has claimed responsibility for the development of raw water sources, but we have been working with them to expedite the process because we understand the urgency of meeting the supply needs of our customers,” the water concessionaire serving the west zone of Metro Manila said on Wednesday. Maynilad also said it is maximizing the limited supply to allow it to mitigate the impact of the current reduced allocation from Angat Dam. The company has also added 300 million liters per day (MLD) to its water production capacity after the construction of its treatment facilities sourcing raw water from Laguna Lake. “We intend to further boost this by another 150 MLD supply. We continue to aggressively implement our Non-Revenue Water reduction program, reactivate deep wells as needed, and deploy mobile treatment plants to source additional raw water from dams in Cavite,” Maynilad said. — Victor V. Saulon

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