West zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. said Monday it started the distribution of its “new water” or potable supply sourced from treated used water to two barangays in Parañaque City.
Maynilad said this followed the receipt of a conditional operational permit from the Department of Health-Metro Manila Center for Health Development.
It said the COP was issued after the potable water passed a series of tests that proved its adherence to the Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water and met the World Health Organization guidelines on potable reuse.
The permit is valid for 12 months and will be changed to a permanent permit once Maynilad meets all the conditions set in the COP on the supply of the “new water” within the period under the strict monitoring of DOH.
The “new water” received a certificate of potability from the Parañaque City Health Office prior to the COP issuance.
Maynilad said the “new water” represents the first implementation of potable water reuse in the Philippines.
“The DOH’s issuance of a permit to commence piped-in distribution of new water is a major milestone for the local water industry, as this is the first time that recycled water will be tapped as an alternative supply source to address water shortages,” said Maynilad president and chief executive Ramoncito Fernandez.
He said the recycling of water for potable use is a practice that has been in place for decades in other countries such as Singapore, Namibia and parts of the United States.
Maynilad’s P450-million “New Water Treatment Plant” gets the treated used water discharged by its Parañaque Water Reclamation Facility and converts it into a drinkable water supply.
The facility’s output of 10 million liters per day is blended with the supply produced by the company’s La Mesa Treatment Plants before conveyance to Barangays San Isidro and San Dionisio in Parañaque City.
Fernandez said Maynilad planned to construct four more “New Water Treatment Plants” by 2025, which would receive treated used water from the company’s sewage treatment plants in Pasay, Muntinlupa, Parañaque and Valenzuela.
Maynilad concession area 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 in Cavite [rovince.