MANILA – For April, Manila Water achieved a 100-percent score in its wastewater effluent quality compliance scorecard, versus the target of 95 percent.
The score was based on the scorecard set by the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) Regulatory Office relative to the applicable General Effluent Standards set in the issued Wastewater Discharge Permits to the treatment facilities by either Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (EMB-DENR) or the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA).
Under DENR’s Updated General Effluent Standards, wastewater treatment plants should produce “Class C” effluent with eliminated bio-nutrients such as ammonia and phosphorus, which is deemed to be safe for water recycling for non-contact purposes such as toilet-flushing, cleaning and irrigation, and ultimately, should be safe for discharge to water bodies and the marine life.
As part of its sustainability agenda and regulatory compliance, Manila Water is ramping up the development of new infrastructure and upgrading of its wastewater facilities.
The company has invested PHP271 million for construction of the 1.95-kilometer (km) Kalayaan Sewer Replacement Package 2 and the 3.23-km Kalayaan Sewer Replacement Package 3 which will improve the sewer network in Quezon City by replacing old pipes with new and more durable PVC pipes, installation of manhole and clean-out, transfer of service connection, and connection of unsewered households and establishments.
Manila Water’s Mandaluyong West Sewer Network Packages 3A and 3B also aim to expand sewer coverage in the East Zone, as well as aid in the restoration of Manila Bay.
The PHP306-million Package A and PHP494-million Package B sewer pipelaying projects are vital sections of the 52.5-kilometer Mandaluyong West-San Juan and South Quezon City Sewerage System or the MandaWest Project.
The PHP4.2-billion MandaWest Project, targeted to benefit over 700,000 customers in Mandaluyong, Quezon City, and San Juan, includes a 60-million-liter-per-day (MLD) sewage treatment plant equipped with a biological nutrient removal system, one major pump, 13 lift stations, 276 interceptor boxes, and a 16-channel interceptor.
Manila Water has also upgraded the PHP119-million Taguig North Package 4A, part of the Taguig Sewer Network, with installation and pipelaying of quality and more durable pipes and channel interceptors.
Currently, Manila Water is operating 24 sewage treatment plants and two septage treatment plants in the East Zone. (PR)
