West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (Maynilad) is investing over P53.4 billion to install 425 kilometers of new sewer lines from 2020 to 2037, to ensure the provision of sewerage services for its customers.
The new sewer lines, to be laid in various portions of the West concession from Caloocan to Cavite over the next 18 years, will enable Maynilad to catch wastewater generated by its over 9.6 million customers, and convey it to Sewage Treatment Plants. Currently, about 20% of Maynilad’s water-served population are connected to the sewer network (up from only 6% prior to privatization of MWSS operations in 1997); those that are unconnected are provided septic tank cleaning services by Maynilad.
Maynilad Chief Operating Officer Randolph T. Estrellado said that the laying of sewer lines will lead to some inconvenience for motorists. “Sewer pipes have to be laid at a lower depth compared to water pipes—some as deep as fourteen meters below ground level—so wastewater projects take a longer time to complete. To minimize traffic congestion in our project sites, we will use trenchless technology where feasible, although said technology will significantly increase the cost to install the sewer network,” he said.
Maynilad is currently laying sewer lines in Valenzuela, Cavite City, Las Piñas, and in barangays Cupang and Tunasan in Muntinlupa. Among the sewerage projects it completed recently are those in Pasay and Parañaque. Under its approved business plan, Maynilad still has to spend almost P200 billion for wastewater projects from 2019 until the end of the concession period in 2037.
“With the invaluable assistance of local government units and the relevant government agencies, we can facilitate completion of our sewerage projects despite the difficulties posed by right-of-way conflicts and lack of land for treatment facilities. Only by working together can we truly realize the goal of rehabilitating the Manila Bay,” said Maynilad President and CEO Ramoncito S. Fernandez.
The West Zone concessionaire currently operates and maintains 588 kilometers of sewer lines and 22 wastewater facilities that have a combined treatment capacity of about 664,000 cubic meters per day.
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.
