East Zone concessionaire Manila Water Company is building 12 additional sewage treatment plants (STPs) as it continues to fulfill its mandate of providing sewerage and sanitation services to help improve the conditions of the water environment in the metropolis.
In a statement, the firm said it targets to have a total of 53 wastewater facilities with 1,156 million liters per day (MLD) treatment capacity which will cover 100 percent of its concession area.
This translates to a total of 715 kilometers of sewer network to serve 7.6 million population in the East Zone.
Manila Water said it is reinforcing its commitment to the Philippine Clean Water Act as the company operates more wastewater treatment plants to ensure that domestic wastewater from households does not contribute to the pollution of rivers and other water bodies.
Republic Act No. 9275 or the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004 was enacted to preserve and revive the quality of our country’s fresh, brackish and marine waters and aims to protect our water bodies from pollution from land-based sources (industries and commercial establishments, agriculture, and community/household activities).
It provides for a comprehensive and integrated strategy to prevent and minimize pollution through a multi-sectoral and participatory approach involving all the stakeholders.
“As Manila Water is committed to provide 24/7 clean and potable water to our customers, we are also focused on protecting the environment by making sure that we properly dispose, treat wastewater and its by-products, as these remain essential elements of our services,” said Manila Water Wastewater Operations Head Donna Perez.
Manila Water’s wastewater treatment plants employ various technologies to treat wastes and pollution through a variety of mechanisms and processes.
Its wastewater management includes the collection of sewage and septage from households and establishments, to conveyance, full treatment and safe disposal of by-products.
The company has expanded its wastewater services to cover more areas and benefit more people in the East Zone.
From a single sewage treatment plant (STP) in 1997, Manila Water now operates 41 treatment facilities, increasing the company’s wastewater treatment capacity by 925 percent, from 40 million liters per day (MLD) at the start of operations to 410 MLD at present.