By Madelaine B. Miraflor
The capital expenditure (capex) of West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (Maynilad) for this year is expected to be around P16.8 billion for the continued enhancement and expansion of its water and wastewater services.
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Of this amount, about P11.4 billion will be spent by the company for wastewater management projects in order to comply with the new and more stringent effluent standards set by the government and to maintain network reliability.
This amount will be particularly used for the construction of a new sewage treatment plant (STP) in Central Manila, installation of about 30 kilometers of sewer lines in Las Piñas City, upgrade of existing STPs to include nutrient-removal processes, lot acquisitions for new STPs and pump stations, installation of new sewer service connections, and maintenance of the existing sewer network.
“Maynilad is dedicating a bigger share of this year’s capital investment toward wastewater projects, as we seek to facilitate sewerage coverage expansion in the West Zone,” said Maynilad President and CEO Ramoncito S. Fernandez.
“Accelerating our wastewater projects will require a lot of resources but we are committed to do our part in protecting the health of our customers and the environment,” he added.
To continue enhancing water supply and pressure in the West Zone, Maynilad is seen spending P1.9 billion for water operations support such as the construction of additional pumping stations and reservoirs for better supply management, service expansion programs, and water source projects.
Maynilad is also allocating P3 billion this year for its water loss recovery or Non-Revenue Water (NRW) Management Program. This covers leak detection and repair, meter management, pipe replacements, and network diagnostics, among others.
The rest of the budget will go to the company’s Customer Service and Information Program, which involves modernizing data management and information systems to improve service delivery.