MAYNILAD Water Services, Inc. said the construction of its water treatment plant in Muntinlupa is 80% complete and is expected to produce 50 million liters per day (MLD) of additional water by the end of this year.
In a media release on Saturday, the west zone concessionaire said it had started the gradual commissioning of the plant to ensure that it can produce the initial amount of potable water by December.
Once fully operational by the first half of 2024, the P11-billion water treatment facility is expected to produce a full capacity of 150 MLD to provide water to customers in Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, and Cavite.
“This facility will help to enhance service reliability, as it will provide additional supply for customers in the south so their water service will not be affected despite raw water quality shifts in Laguna Lake, which have been occurring with more frequency owing to climate change effects,” the company said.
The treatment plant will be Maynilad’s third facility to tap Laguna Lake as an alternative source of raw water to the Angat Dam. Maynilad has two treatment plants in Putatan, Muntinlupa that supply 300 MLD of potable water to around 1.7 million customers in the south.
The project is part of Maynilad’s P220-billion service enhancement program from 2023 to 2027 that is focused on promoting enhanced water sustainability and climate resiliency.
Earlier this month, the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System said it was investigating Maynilad’s water service interruptions, which the company said were due to maintenance activities at its Putatan treatment plant. The company said it was replacing all 14 ultrafiltration membranes at the facility.
Meanwhile, the company has invested P5.7 billion for the construction of five treatment plants in four cities up to 2027 under its “new water” project.
The new facilities, once operational, will have a total combined capacity of 97 MLD, which is enough to supply the water needs of almost 400,000 customers.
Of the four facilities that are under construction, the treatment plant in Valenzuela is targeted to start operations within the year.
Maynilad serves Manila, except for portions of San Andres and Sta. Ana. It also operates in Quezon City, Makati, Caloocan, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Valenzuela, Navotas, and Malabon. It supplies 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 a majority stake in Maynilad, is one of three Philippine units of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being Philex Mining Corp. and PLDT Inc.
Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has an interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera