Manila Water to spend P7.84 billion for new Laguna treatment plant

MANILA, Philippines — Razon-led Manila Water Co. Inc. is spending P7.84 billion to construct a new water treatment plant (WTP) in Laguna, which will provide additional supply of potable water to the east zone concession area.

Located in Pakil, Laguna, the P7.84 billion East Bay Phase 2 WTP is expected to deliver new 200 million liters per day (MLD) of potable water to two million people in Pasig, Pateros, Taguig, and nearby towns in early 2025.

Manila Water senior project manager Byder Nangit said the project is part of the company’s Water Supply Master Plan that aims to ensure water security and supply reliability in the east zone.

Nangit said that once completed, the project would also lessen Manila Water’s water supply dependence on Angat Dam.

The WTP is part of the East Bay Phase 2 Water Supply System (WSS) Project, which also includes the construction of a reservoir, pumping station, and pipelaying of 60 kilometers of 1200- and 1400-millimeter diameter pipes.

The WTP will treat the water from the Laguna Lake using reverse osmosis process, making it suitable for public consumption.

Earlier, Manila Water awarded the design and construction contract to the consortium composed of Spanish infrastructure firm Acciona, Prime Metro BMD Corp. and Santa Clara International.

The consortium also bagged the contract to operate and maintain the project for one year.

Meanwhile, Manila Water said the Phase 1 of the East Bay WSS Project started serving customers of the Municipality of Jalajala in the second quarter of this year.

The facility is expected to provide 50 MLD of treated water to 390,000 population in the towns of Jalajala, Pililla, Baras, Cardona, Morong, and Binangonan in Rizal province, complemented by two submarine pipes traversing the bottom of Laguna Lake.

Earlier, the water company said the components of the P2.7-billion WTP project include an eight-million-liter capacity reservoir, an intake structure, pumping station, and WTP using dissolved air flotation (DAF) system, multi-media and granular activated carbon (GAC) filters as well as reverse osmosis system.

The East Bay Water Supply System Project seeks to expand Manila Water’s services to more towns in Rizal Province.

Currently, Manila Water serves the east zone of the Greater Manila Area, covering parts of Makati, Mandaluyong, Pasig, Pateros, San Juan, Taguig, Marikina, most parts of Quezon City, portions of Manila, as well as several towns in Rizal.

It also operates outside the east zone through subsidiary Manila Water Philippine Ventures Inc. (MWPV), with presence in Laguna; Boracay; Cebu; Davao; Clark, Pampanga; Ilagan, Isabela; Tagum, Davao del Norte.

Abroad, Manila Water is present in Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.