Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (Maynilad)—through its education arm, Maynilad Water Academy—partnered with the Philippine Association of Water Districts (PAWD) to organize the Watershed Conference 2016, a venue for local water service providers to share best practices in watershed management.
A total of 126 participants from various water districts and private companies nationwide gathered for the conference to discuss the state of water and watersheds in the country, and find solutions for maximizing limited supply sources.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Regina Lopez, in her keynote speech delivered by DENR Undersecretary Mario Mendoza, noted that the country is faced with an emerging water constraint due to industrialization and rapid population growth. Given this, a National Water Plan is being developed to provide a collaborative planning framework for better management of water resources in the country.
The output of the Watershed Conference 2016 will serve as guide for water districts in instituting programs for effective watershed management.
“Keeping the country’s water supply sustainable is a challenge, given growing demand, but it can be done through intensified collaboration among water industry players. Maynilad will certainly do its part to ensure that future generations of Filipinos will continue to have access to potable water,†said Maynilad President and CEO Ramoncito S. Fernandez.
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.