East Zone concessionaire Manila Water Company is set to spend P181 billion in the next five years, from 2023 to 2027, in pursuit of its service improvement plan to continuously meet its service obligations.

In a statement, the utility said a significant level of the expenditures will be to implement capital expenditure programs amounting to P105 billion for both its water and wastewater projects.

The service improvement plan highlights four sustainability pillars necessary to ensure the viability of the environment which sustains the water cycle, and on which the company establishes its operations even for the long-term.

These pillars are Water Security, to ensure adequacy of water resources for current and future customers; Service Accessibility, to expand service coverage to more communities in the East Zone; Service Continuity, to ensure that customers continue to receive high-quality service even in the event of natural calamities; and Environmental Sustainability, to safeguard the sustainability of the environment that supports the East Zone.

Manila Water President and CEO Jocot De Dios affirmed that Manila Water continues to support and work with the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System for the development and implementation of short- to long-term projects to ensure sustainability of future water supply.

These include the Calawis Antipolo Source System and the East Bay Water Supply Project which will source water from the eastern flank of Laguna Lake.

Other projects being eyed as medium- to long-term water sources aside from harnessing Laguna Lake include the New Wawa Dam Project in Rizal Province, the Kaliwa Dam Project and the Kaliwa River Project which will harness water from Kaliwa River downstream of Quezon Province.

Furthermore, the construction of the new 15-kilometers aqueduct and 6.4- kilometer tunnel is already completed in coordination with MWSS which will provide another 1,600 MLD to flow towards La Mesa Dam, optimizing the flow of excess water from Ipo to La Mesa Dam.

Manila Water said it continues to meet the standard and demand for 24/7 water supply, which the company commits to maintain through its service improvement plan, as well as contingency and augmentation plans, to benefit its growing customer base.

Even during the height of the pandemic, Manila Water made sure to supply its customers with clean and safe water, 24/7.

“Whatever situation we find ourselves in, we remain relentless in improving our services and infrastructure to fulfill our commitments to our stakeholders and the environment,” said De Dios.

Manila Water was able to adapt and implement different ways of work amidst the new realities brought about by the pandemic which led to the continued provision of 24/7 water supply to its customers as well as the resumption of previously suspended services and activities, while complying to government health and safety guidelines.

With its customer population growing from 3.1 million to 7.4 million currently, and available supply fast outpacing demand for water, ensuring business continuity and uninterrupted service to customers remain the primary objectives of the Company.

Manila Water continues to work with the MWSS and the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) in developing new water sources even as the agencies have approved the implementation of the much-needed interim additional sources.

These include the maximization of the 100 million-liter-per-day (MLD) capacity of the Cardona Water Treatment Plant, which draws water from Laguna Lake; the operation of deep wells that can provide an additional 115 MLD; and the operation of the 20-MLD Marikina Portable Water Treatment Plant, which can treat water from the Marikina River.

Manila Water also implements operational adjustments when needed, such as backwash recovery or re-treating the wastewater byproduct of the water treatment process while ensuring the efficiency of its network distribution, maximizing its distribution reservoirs and operating line boosters so that uninterrupted water supply continues to reach elevated and far-flung areas of the concession.