West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (Maynilad) is spending around Php1.14 billion (about $20 million) to further upgrade the treatment processes of its Putatan Water Treatment Plants (PWTP) 1 and 2 in Muntinlupa City, in response to the worsening quality of the raw water from Laguna Lake.
These 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.
The PWTP upgrades, which Maynilad has been implementing in phases, enabled the company to sustain normal water production since June 2023 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.
“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,” said Maynilad Chief Operating Officer Randolph T. Estrellado.
Estrellado added that the PWTP improvements being done were aligned with the recommendations of the Public Utility Board (PUB) — the national water agency of Singapore — which was invited to the country by 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-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.
