West zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. said Tuesday it invested about P42 billion in water projects over the last five years to help address water security challenges in its concession area.
Maynilad president and chief executive Ramoncito Fernandez said the company was building new facilities such as pumping stations and reservoirs to improve the water supply system’s climate change resiliency and create redundancies in the event of a disaster.
“We need to make these investments to enhance water reliability despite the threat of climate change, infrastructure limitations and the rising demand for water due to population growth and urbanization,” Fernandez said during a water security forum organized by the environment committee of the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines.
Fernandez said Maynilad’s La Mesa and Putatan water treatment plants were undergoing upgrades and retrofitting to enhance treatment capacities in the face of rising turbidity levels in the raw water sources.
Maynilad is also looking into the application of advanced treatment technologies to harness other water sources, such as seawater and used water, given the urgency of meeting the water supply needs of a growing population.
The company said it was working closely with the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System which was facilitating the development of additional raw water sources for Metro Manila and adjacent areas.
“We are heartened by MWSS administrator Reynaldo Velasco’s promise to balance the continued business viability of the concessionaires and the welfare of water consumers. As long as government and the private sector work hand-in-hand, we can overcome the challenges of water security,” Fernandez said.
Maynilad currently provides water and wastewater services to certain portions of Manila, Quezon City, Makati, Caloocan, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Valenzuela, Navotas and Malabon.
It also provides services to the cities of Cavite, Bacoor and Imus and the towns of Kawit, Noveleta and Rosario in Cavite.
