Maynilad to spend P1.14 billion for Putatan plant upgrade

MANILA, Philippines — West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. (Maynilad) has allotted around P1.14 billion to further upgrade the treatment processes of its Putatan Water Treatment Plants (PWTP) 1 and 2 in Muntinlupa City.

The upgrades will address the worsening quality of raw water from Laguna Lake, Maynilad said in a statement yesterday.

“We have had to incorporate additional treatment processes at Putatan WTP to handle some quality parameters of Laguna Lake that now occur at levels not seen from recorded prior ten-year experience. This investment is essential so we can continue to maximize the lake’s strategic value as a water source for Metro Manila,” Maynilad COO Randolph Estrellado said.

The upgrades include the material and structural reinforcement of the facilities’ existing silt curtain, strengthening of the sludge management system, provision of activated carbon dosing at the intake, and replacement of all ultrafiltration membranes, among other enhancements.

Implemented in phases, the PWTP upgrades enabled the company to sustain normal water production since June despite sudden shifts in the lake water’s quality.

This led to improved service availability for Maynilad customers in the south versus the previous year, when the water production of PWTP 1 and 2 would immediately drop following spikes in total dissolved solids, algae proliferation, and presence of organic and inorganic matter in the lake water.

Earlier this year, its PTWP Supply Zone experienced water service interruptions for 15 days due to the reduced production in the water treatment plant “resulting from a damaged sludge removal equipment, coupled with a rise in turbidity levels of the raw water from Laguna Lake.”

The PWTP Supply Zone covers the southern portion of Maynilad’s concession area, specifically in Muntinlupa, Las Piñas, Parañaque and portions of Cavite.

Laguna Lake, which provides eight percent of Maynilad’s raw water supply, goes through changes in its water quality due to the impacts of climate change and the leaching of chemical pollutants, making water treatment all the more challenging.

Estrellado said the PWTP improvements were aligned with the recommendations of the Public Utility Board (PUB) – the national water agency of Singapore – which was invited by Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) administrator Leonor Cleofas to assess the said facilities and share their expertise with Maynilad.

Maynilad’s PWTP 1 and 2 – the largest membrane-based water treatment plants in the Philippines – are the first to utilize Laguna Lake as an alternate source to Angat Dam.

The company is currently constructing another 150-million liter per day (MLD) treatment plant in Poblacion, Muntinlupa City, which will be its third facility to tap Laguna Lake as a source.

These three WTPs are a vital part of Maynilad’s plan to develop alternative sources of water to enhance service reliability for its customers and promote water security.