The construction of three new Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) owned by Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (Maynilad), which cost P7.15 billion to build, is all targeted for completion this year.
These STPs—currently being constructed in Barangays Cupang and Tunasan in Muntinlupa, and in Barangay Marulas in Valenzuela—can treat up to 126,000 cubic meters of wastewater per day.
Combined, the new facilities can provide sewerage service to almost 700,000 residents in the cities of Muntinlupa and Valenzuela.
In a statement, Maynilad said the new facilities will help reduce pollution load in Manila Bay, a major coastal area covering eight provinces and 178 local government units (LGUs).
To recall, Maynilad, as a concessionaire of Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS), is required to improve and expand its sewerage services to make sure that all the wastewater that is being released to Manila Bay has been treated properly.
Full sewer and sanitation coverage, according to MWSS, should be 100 percent by 2037.
Jennifer Rufo, head of corporate communications at Maynilad, said that as of end-2020, the company provides sewerage services to 21.32 percent of the west zone concession area or to a population of 2.09 million.
Those areas that are not connected to the sewer lines are covered by the company's sanitation service, i.e. septic tank cleaning, she further said.
From only two operational STPs in 1997 when MWSS operations were first privatized, Maynilad now runs 22 wastewater facilities with a combined treatment capacity of around 664,000 cubic meters per day after having invested around P42 billion in wastewater projects.
Maynilad is the largest private water concessionaire in the Philippines in terms of the customer base.
It is the agent and contractor of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) for the West Zone of the Greater Manila Area, which is composed of the cities of Manila (certain portions), Quezon City (certain portions), Makati (west of South Superhighway), Caloocan, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Valenzuela, Navotas and Malabon all in Metro Manila; the cities of Cavite, Bacoor and Imus, and the towns of Kawit, Noveleta and Rosario, all in Cavite Province.
“While pandemic-related constraints continue to hinder our manpower deployment, we will strive to get these new facilities running and serving communities within the year,” Maynilad President and CEO Ramoncito S. Fernandez said in a statement.