Maynilad allots P7 B for La Mesa upgrade

MANILA, Philippines - West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. is investing P7 billion to upgrade its La Mesa water treatment plants to improve water service.

Maynilad said the upgrade for La Mesa Water Treatment Plants 1 and 2 in Quezon City would involve enhancement of the facilities’ treatment capacity, retrofitting structures for improved earthquake resiliency, and automating processes for more reliable operations.

Currently, the plants have a combined production capacity of 2,400 million liters per day and supplies potable water for nine million customers.

“Investment in additional treatment technologies is necessary given the dramatic shifts in raw water quality brought on by climate change. With this upgrade, water service to our customers will no longer be affected whenever turbidity level in the raw water increases,” Maynilad chief operating officer Randolph Estrellado said.

Targeted to be completed by 2020, the plants’ upgrade will enhance the treatment technology used to address the problem of increasing turbidity levels in the raw water coming from Angat and Ipo dams.

Maynilad is upgrading the treatment capacity of the treatment plants from only 300 nethelometric turbidity units to 2,000 NTU.

Turbidity level refers to the sediment content in the dams’ raw water, which increases either due to soil erosion in the watersheds after heavy rains or due to the scraping of mineral deposits from the dams’ bottom during drought periods.

The La Mesa treatment plants 1 and 2 are among the three world-class water treatment plants that Maynilad operates, both being ISO 9001:2000-certified.

The other one is the Putatan treatment plant, the largest membrane-based water treatment plant in the country and the first of its kind to use large-scale micro-filtration and reverse osmosis.

The La Mesa upgrade is part of Maynilad’s P42-billion capital expenditure plan which started in 2013 and will end this year.  It is  aimed at improving water infrastructure and addressing water security challenges.

“We are pursuing our capex projects despite the delayed implementation of the tariff adjustment because we have an obligation to our customers, and that includes pursuing the projects that will sustain improved service levels for current and future water consumers,” Maynilad president and chief executive officer Ramoncito Fernandez said.

This year, Maynilad is spending P11.7 billion for its water and wastewater infrastructure projects.

Bulk or about P8.3 billion of this year’s capital expenditures will go to water infrastructure projects to ensure sufficient water supply and pressure in the West Zone.

The other allocation for this year’s capital outlay will go to water infrastructure projects to ensure sufficient water supply and pressure in the West Zone, as well as improvement works in its water treatment plants, construction and upgrade of pumping stations and reservoirs, laying of primary pipelines for water service expansion, and enhancements of common purpose facilities.

Maynilad is the largest private water concessionaire in the country in terms of customer base. It serves the areas of Caloocan, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Valenzuela, Navotas, Malabon, and certain portions of Manila, Quezon City, Makati and Cavite.

It is owned and managed by Maynilad Water Holdings Co. Inc., a joint venture between Metro Pacific Investments Corp., DMCI Holdings Inc. and Marubeni Corp.