West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (Maynilad) is investing around PhP1.1 billion over a period of three years to rehabilitate five esteros in Manila, in support of government efforts to clean-up waterways that drain out to Manila Bay. Maynilad’s “Adopt an Estero” initiative—which covers Estero dela Reina, Estero de Sunog Apog, Estero de Magdalena, Estero de Concordia, and Estero de San Antonio Abad—involves the laying of around 10 kilometers of sewer lines to catch wastewater flow from Maynilad customers along the creeks who could not be served by individual sewer connections. The collected wastewater will then be diverted to the nearest sewer network of Maynilad. The project is expected to benefit some 62,000 people. “Even as we install the sewer lines that will prevent wastewater from flowing directly to esteros, we seek the help of all local government units to ensure that solid waste does not pollute these same esteros that we are trying to clean. This would render our investment in the wastewater infrastructure useless,” stressed Maynilad President and CEO Ramoncito S. Fernandez. Since Maynilad launched its estero rehab initiative in November 2018, it has completed the installation of 323 meters of interceptor pipes along Estero dela Reina, which already benefits over 5,300 residents in the area. This initiative is part of Maynilad’s comprehensive plan to help clean up the Manila Bay and all the tributaries feeding to it.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.