West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (Maynilad) has begun the construction of a sewerage system that will treat the wastewater discharges of over 300,000 people in Valenzuela City.
The ₱ 1.2 billion project involves the construction of a new Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) and the laying of a 28-kilometer sewer network that will catch wastewater from drainage lines and convey it to the STP for treatment.
The Valenzuela STP will have a treatment capacity of 60 million liters of wastewater per day, and will use the Conventional Activated Sludge (CAS) technology. The CAS provides efficient and high-quality treatment to ensure that wastewater discharged conforms to environmental standards set by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
The sewerage system in Valenzuela City—expected to begin operations by January 2018—is one of four Maynilad projects funded by a World Bank loan to help accelerate the construction of sewerage and sanitation infrastructure in Metro Manila. Other projects covered by this loan are sewerage systems in Quezon City, Pasay and Muntinlupa.
Maynilad President and CEO Ramoncito Fernandez said these projects are part of the company’s long-term plan to expand sewerage coverage. “This initiative will improve water quality in receiving bodies of water and reduce the incidence of water-borne diseases in the area,†he said.
For 2016 alone, Maynilad has earmarked over ₱6 billion for its wastewater programs. Aside from the Valenzuela STP, the company is also constructing STPs in Pasay, Muntinlupa, Parañaque and Cavite City.
Maynilad is the largest private water concessionaire in the Philippines in terms of 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 Super Highway), 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.