West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (Maynilad) recently gained global recognition after its Parañaque NEW WATER Treatment Plant—the first facility of its kind in the Philippines that purifies used water for drinking—was cited as “Water Reuse Project of the Year†at the Global Water Awards 2023 held recently in Berlin, Germany.
The Global Water Awards 2023 is a prestigious international competition which rewards initiatives in the water, wastewater and desalination sectors that are moving the industry forward through improved operating performance, innovative technology adoption, and sustainable financial models.
Maynilad bested three other internationally renowned companies from the United States, Singapore and Australia, whose innovative water reuse projects were shortlisted in the category.
The Parañaque NEW WATER Treatment Plant of Maynilad receives treated used water from a sewage treatment plant and converts it into drinkable water supply that meets the 2017 Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water. The facility was built to generate additional water supply in response to growing demand.
Maynilad’s NEW WATER is the first implementation of “potable water reuse†in the Philippines, and is the first “direct potable water reuse†in Asia.
“Our goal is to continue finding innovative ways to operate so we can deliver better services. Receiving this international recognition is a huge honor for Maynilad. It is also a victory for the Philippines because it proves that our first-ever potable water reuse implementation is a notable engineering solution by global standards,†said Maynilad President and CEO Ramoncito S. Fernandez.
Maynilad plans to eventually expand its NEW WATER output by constructing similar treatment facilities that will catch the treated used water from its other sewage treatment plants for conversion to potable water supply.
Organized by Global Water Intelligence, the Global Water Awards recognizes the most important achievements in the international water industry. Nominations are shortlisted by a panel of industry experts, and the winners are voted for by the international water community.