Maynilad hikes tree-planting target by 133% in 2023

by Info @Brand Zone | September 20, 2023

West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (Maynilad) aims to plant around 210,000 native trees in vital watersheds for its “Plant for Life” program implementation in 2023—a 133% increase from last year’s target of 90,000 trees.

For this year’s run of the Maynilad annual reforestation initiative, the company committed to plant 210,000 tree saplings and mangrove propagules over a land area of approximately 525 hectares at the Ipo watershed in Bulacan, Kaliwa watershed in Quezon Province, La Mesa watershed in Quezon City, and the Manila Bay coastline in Cavite Province.

“One climate change mitigation measure that will have a long-term and major impact on protecting our water sources is the planting of trees. It not only enhances carbon sequestration, it also increases the soil’s water-retention capacity, thus preventing erosion in watersheds that could lead to high turbidity in the raw water supply,” said Maynilad’s Quality, Sustainability and Resiliency (QSR) Head, Atty. Roel S. Espiritu.

Espiritu said that intensified reforestation activities this year will focus on improving forest cover at Mt. Balagbag in Bulacan, which is now highly denuded and has to be restored.

Maynilad plants trees with the help of volunteers from private and public organizations—including its sister companies under the MVP Group such as PLDT/Smart—that share in the water company’s concern for environment conservation. Maynilad also works with the Mt. Balagbag Farmers, local communities, indigenous people, and Bantay Gubat to sustain high survival rate of the trees planted. More than 1 million trees have already been planted through “Plant for Life” since the program’s inception in 2007.

Maynilad is the largest private water concessionaire in the Philippines in terms of customer base. Its service area includes 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 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; and the cities of Cavite, Bacoor, and Imus, and the towns of Kawit, Noveleta, and Rosario, all in the province of Cavite.

Maynilad to invest Php3B for upgrade of 17 STPs

by Info @Brand Zone | September 12, 2023

West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (Maynilad) is spending over Php3 billion to upgrade 17 of its existing 22 Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) over the next five years.

The upgrade involves adding treatment processes in these 17 STPs to enhance nutrient-removal capability, in compliance with the revised effluent standards (DAO 2021-19) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), which set more stringent wastewater treatment guidelines versus those imposed in other countries.

Maynilad’s Parañaque Water Reclamation Facility—currently its biggest STP in terms of volume output—is already compliant with DAO 2021-19. By 2027, all 22 existing wastewater treatment plants in the West Zone—which have a combined treatment capacity of around 684,707 cubic meters of wastewater per day—will be upgraded to conform to DAO 2021-19 standards.

Meanwhile, the new STPs that Maynilad plans to construct in the succeeding years will already have those upgraded nutrient-removal processes factored in its treatment capacity design.

Maynilad’s wastewater treatment facilities remove harmful substances from the wastewater generated by Maynilad customers before it is discharged to receiving bodies of water, thus contributing to the clean-up and rehabilitation of Manila Bay.

The upgrade of these 17 STPs is part of Maynilad’s Php178-billion wastewater management spending plan from 2023 to 2046, which aims to expand sewer coverage and manage pollution loading in bodies of water. Also included in this program are the construction of 18 new STPs in different areas within the West concession, and the installation of around 360 kilometers of new sewer lines that will catch and convey used water from households to STPs, among other wastewater-related projects.

Maynilad is the largest private water concessionaire in the Philippines in terms of customer base. It is the concessionaire 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.

Maynilad to replace old, undersized pipes in Pasay

by Info @Brand Zone | August 22, 2023

West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (Maynilad) is replacing over 22 kilometers of old and undersized pipes in Pasay City to better accommodate the supply requirement of the area’s population, which has already increased beyond the distribution system’s current capacity.

The Php362-million pipe replacement project will cover 29 barangays in the areas of Malibay, Maricaban, Pildera 2, and Sun Valley in Pasay. It involves the replacement of existing small-diameter water pipelines (50 to 75 millimeters only) with pipes of bigger diameter ranging from 100mm to 300mm.

The existing pipes in these 29 barangays were installed some 35 years ago—even before the privatization of MWSS operations. Hence, the pipe sizes are no longer enough to accommodate the volume of water that the area currently needs, given the growth in their population over the years.

Besides improving water pressure and availability for almost 38,000 customers in Pasay, the pipe replacement project will enable Maynilad to recover an estimated 7 MLD (million liters per day) of water that is lost through leaks in the aging distribution system.

This pipe replacement project is targeted for completion in 2024. “Upgrading the pipe network in Pasay is essential to improving service levels for the now-bigger population in the area. We are working closely with the Pasay local government and the barangays so we can minimize the impact on traffic of this project,” said Maynilad Chief Operating Officer Randolph T. Estrellado.

Maynilad inherited the older portion of the MWSS distribution system in 1997, and has been investing non-stop for the rehabilitation of the old water infrastructure to improve water pressure and availability, as well as reduce losses in the system. For 2023 to 2027, the company has allotted Php10 billion to replace old pipelines in various portions of its concession area.

Maynilad is the largest private water concessionaire in the Philippines in terms of customer base. It is the concessionaire 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.