Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System Administrator Reynaldo V. Velasco has commended West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Service Inc. for its project to improve water quality in the esteros before water it is released back into the Pasig River, and finally into Manila Bay.
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for Maynilad’s “Sagip Estero, Balik Sigla,” a program to restore the tributaries leading to Pasig River, Velasco stressed that collective effort is needed for the river clean up.
Velasco lauded Maynilad for partnering with MWSS, the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission, the local government of the city of Manila, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
“The esteros involved are Estero dela Reina, Estero de Sunog Apog, Estero de Magdalena, and Estero de Concordia,” said Velasco who attended the event with Maynilad president Ramoncito S. Fernandez and other executives along with officials from government.
Maynilad COO Randy Estrellado supported the MWSS chief’s statement saying “the joint effort as far as the environment is concerned results from each individual contribution to reach its full potential only if we all do our share with Maynilad undertaking the construction of interceptor pipes and appurtenances along the easement areas of four esteros to capture the wastewater discharges of households in the area and treating it before discharge into the waterways.
Estrellado, however, lamented that wanton throwing of garbage particularly among informal settlers somehow negated Maynilad’s wastewater management efforts.
“This project by Maynilad is laudable as it manifests the concessionaire’s adherence to the Clean Water Act and its support to the writ of continuing mandamus issued by the Supreme Court in 2008,” Velasco said.
The high tribunal’s writ names MWSS along with its concessionaires as among those ordered to “clean up, rehabilitate and preserve Manila Bay and restore and maintain its water to SB level fit for swimming, skin diving and other forms of contact recreation.”
The construction of the interceptor pipes and appurtenances in the four esteros is one of the components of the alignment project being undertaken by the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission and Maynilad. The alignment project was the result of the meeting among Maynilad, MWSS Corporate Office, MWSS Regulatory Office, and PRRC held on June 26, 2018.
Project implementation is from 2018-2020 which will benefit 8,456 households in Estero dela Reina; 1,221 in Estero de Sunog Apog; 1,441 in Estero Magdalena; and 287 in Estero de Concordia. The generated wastewater which will be conveyed by the interceptor pipes will be treated in Maynilad’s Tondo Sewage Pumping Plant.
MWSS together with Maynilad and Manila Water are continuously working to improve the waste water treatment and sewerage services in their services areas.
The two concessionaires are infusing the needed investments to attain 100% sewerage coverage by the end of the concession period in 2037.
This year, Maynilad has allotted almost P1.7 billion for wastewater projects to maintain the reliability of the wastewater network and sustain operations. The company has spent almost P14 billion in capital expenditure (Capex) projects to expand sewerage coverage in the West Zone since the company’s re-privatization in 2007.
