Hungary firm to do feasibility study on Laguna Lake rehab

MANILA, Philippines — A Hungarian water company will soon conduct a feasibility study on the establishment of a water treatment facility as part of the government’s efforts to rehabilitate the Laguna Lake, the country’s largest body of freshwater.

Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol and Laguna Lake Development Authority general manager Joey Medina recently met with Hungarian Water Technology Corp. chief executive officer Adrian Kiss to discuss plans for Laguna Lake.

“LLDA and Hungarian Water Technology Corp. hopes to conduct a feasibility study for a prototype design that could be a long-term wastewater treatment solution for the Laguna Lake,” Piñol said.

The Hungarian firm offers a wide range of solutions for domestic and foreign partners for water treatment plants and sewage treatment plants for both industrial and municipal purposes.

It is also involved in the design and implementation of drinking water treatment plants, domestic wastewater and sewage treatment, membrane desalination plants and recycling technologies for industrial wastewater.

The plan to rehabilitate the lake complements the DA’s  National Inland Fisheries Development Program that seeds major lakes and rivers in the country to make food accessible to poor families and ease up the pressure on the country’s coastal fishing grounds which have been over-fished because of the reduced catch from inland fishing grounds.

“The project also aims to maximize economic benefits of fishers and provide them a sustainable livelihood. We also plan to promote agro-forestry farming in the watershed areas of Laguna Lake,” Pinol said.

Laguna Lake supplies close to 40 percent of the total fish demand in Metro Manila.

The DA earlier said Hungary would lend $500 million (P25.4 billion) for the establishment of  water treatment facilities in the country, with Laguna Lake as the pilot area.