West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (Maynilad) started operating its new septage treatment plant (SpTP) in Pamplona, Las Piñas City, which is designed to treat wastewater collected from the septic tanks of Maynilad customers in the south.
The P363 million South Septage Treatment Plant can treat up to 250 cubic meters (or 0.25 million liters) of septage per day, and was built to serve Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa and Cavite. Partly funded by a World Bank loan, the South SpTP is part of Maynilad’s program to expedite the provision of sewerage and sanitation services in Metro Manila.
This new facility is the third SpTP in the West concession. Other existing SpTPs of Maynilad are in Project 7, Quezon City, and in Dagat-dagatan, Caloocan City.
“With the South SpTP, Maynilad is able to enhance its operational efficiency since the turnaround time of our vacuum trucks that collect septage from septic tanks in the south has been considerably reduced. This now enables us to fast-track the provision of sanitation services to our customers in the area,” said Maynilad President and CEO Ricky P. Vargas.
Maynilad provides sanitation services (i.e., desludging or cleaning of septic tanks) for unsewered areas in the West Zone. Septage collected in this manner is treated in SpTPs.
On the other hand, Maynilad provides sewerage services (i.e., treatment of wastewater conveyed via a sewer network) in sewered areas of the West Zone. Wastewater collected in this manner is treated in Sewage Treatment Plants or STPs.
The company’s continued investments in the construction of these wastewater facilities help to reduce pollution loading in creeks and rivers that empty out to Manila Bay.
Maynilad earmarked P2.8 billion for its 2015 wastewater program. Aside from the new SpTP in Las Piñas, the company is also currently constructing STPs in Parañaque, Pasay, Muntinlupa and Valenzuela.
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.