Water treatment plant in Bacolod starts operations — BBWI

BACOLOD Bulk Water, Inc. (BBWI) initiated operations at the Ngalan water treatment plant last week, marking the start of the delivery of 15,000 cubic meters of potable water to Bacolod City’s water district.

“The bulk water supply project is intended to resolve this perennial problem. While we are all for progress, a bigger concern to tackle is to find sustainable ways to cope with the increased demand for water in Bacolod,” said BBWI Chairman Ryan T. Yapkianwee in a statement during the weekend.

He said the continuing urban development of Bacolod has greatly affected Bacolod City Water District’s water supply, and the project is intended to help solve the city’s water problems.

“This project should dramatically improve the quality of life of the residents in the City of Smiles, just in time for the famed Maskara festival,” he said.

The water treatment plant can supply 75,000 residents and will greatly increase water pressure and water availability by up to 20 hours a day in some areas of the city, said BBWI, a consortium majority owned and led by Tubig Pilipinas Group, Inc.

It will also allow the water district to expand its capacity in providing safe and potable water for underserved communities of Bacolod City.

BBWI said the water treatment plant is the fastest first delivery of water for a project with more than 100 million liters per day in the country to date. The plant was also completed ahead of the committed delivery date and built in under 11 months.

Water will be sold to the water district at a rate of P8.85 per cubic meter. The plant sources raw water from the Ngalan river in Barangay Granada. It then pumps the water through three flocculation plants, three lamella plate clarifiers, and seven multimedia filters, to purify the water.

After treatment, the water will be injected into the main pipeline or reservoir of Bacolod City water district for distribution in the city. The plant’s first injection point was inaugurated on Oct. 12.

BBWI will gradually increase supply to 150,000 cubic meters per day over the 25- year contract period, it said. The company and Tubig Pilipinas are subsidiaries of Pure Energy Holdings Corp. —