Maynilad commissions two sewage treatment plants

MANILA, Philippines - West Zone Water concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. has commissioned its two new sewage treatment plants in Quezon City.                                                    

The plants, located along Legal and Grant Streets in Project 8, Quezon City, can treat up to 1,030 cubic meters (cm) of wastewater per day, benefiting 1,685 households in the area.

These facilities – along with Maynilad’s sewage treatment plants at Congressional Avenue that was commissioned earlier this year–is expected to improve sewerage services for more than 12,200 people in Quezon City and help clear the San Juan River Basin that empties into the Manila Bay.

Wastewater discharged by households and establishments in the area was treated before going through communal septic tanks which were first constructed by the People’s Homesite and Housing Corporation in the 1950s.

Maynilad invested over P91.7 million to upgrade these communal septic tanks into three new sewage treatment plants.

Using Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) technology, Maynilad was able to build treatment plants on small land area available for use in this densely populated area. The SBR provides high-quality treatment to ensure that wastewater discharged conforms to environmental standards set by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

“Maynilad knows the utmost importance of maintaining the health of communities and the environment through proper wastewater management. The construction of these new STPs in Quezon City is just part of our long-term plan to expand sewerage services to the entire West Zone,” said Maynilad president and CEO Ricky Vargas.

By 2013, Maynilad aims to construct a total of 15 sewage treatment facilities in the San Juan River Basin area with a combined capacity of around 72,000 cm per day, benefiting more than 550,000 people. Five more treatment plants with a combined capacity of 410,000 cm per day serving around two million people will also be built by 2016.

Maynilad covers the cities of Manila (all but portions of San Andres and Sta Ana), Quezon City (west of San Juan River, West Avenue, EDSA, Congressional, Mindanao Avenue, the northern part starting from the districts of the Holy Spirit and Batasan Hills), 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 the Cavite Province.