Boracay Island Water building new sewer network

MANILA, Philippines - Manila Water subsidiary Boracay Island Water Co. Inc. is laying down this year a new sewer network and is bidding out the construction of a new sewage treatment plant.

Boracay Water general manager Ben Mañosca said the concessionaire now services 5, 600 connections within Boracay Island in the province of Aklan. Talks, he said are underway for possible expansion outside its concession area.

The company is preparing for the three-year construction of the P298-million sewer network that would cover Barangay Manoc-Manoc and surrounding areas. The 12-kilometer sewer network would supplement the functions of the existing nine-kilometer wastewater treatment network covering Barangay Balabag and surrounding areas.

In addition to this, 14 lift stations would be constructed to augment the functions of the eight existing ones.

Boracay Water is also set to begin this year the construction of a new sewage treatment plant (STP) in Barangay Manoc-Manoc. The new (STP) could treat up to five million liters of wastewater per day, aiding the functions of the upgraded Balabag sewage treatment plant which could treat up to 6.5 million liters of water per day.

Boracay Water is the joint venture company of the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) and Manila Water Co. Inc.

It is one of the two water utility firms serving potable water to barangays Manoc-Manoc, Balabag and Yapak in Boracay Island. Its sources water from the Nabaoy River in mainland Aklan.

Boracay Water has trimmed its target of attaining 100-percent coverage in wastewater by 2016 to a coverage goal of just 75 percent to minimize disruption in tourism activities in the island and avoid the need for another rate hike.

The company last year sought out a 35- percent increase in its water rates which was approved for implementation on a staggered basis. Last year, a rate hike of 10.5 percent was implemented, while a rate hike of 9.18 percent has been implemented since January 1 this year.

“In laying down the wastewater treatment infrastructure, we prioritized the developed areas, those which have the greatest impact on the environment which is the Balabag and Manoc-Manoc areas. Barangay Yapak is not yet as developed so we are still deliberating on the timeframe for attaining 100-percent coverage in wastewater treatment,” said Manosca.

Boracay Water now charges P84 per cubic meter for commercial establishments and P240 for the first 10 cubic meters for residential consumers.