Maynilad spends P1.92B for pipe replacement
MAYNILAD Water Services, Inc. said it spent around P1.92 billion last year to replace 286 kilometers of old, leaky pipes within its west zone concession area in Metro Manila, the company said on Tuesday.
“Replacing old pipelines was a priority project that enabled us to provide reliable water supply to our customers. But our work does not stop there, as we aim to renew 100% of the old pipe network by year 2023,” said Ramoncito S. Fernandez, Maynilad president and chief executive officer, said in a statement.
The company identified the areas as portions of Manila, Quezon City, Caloocan, Valenzuela, Parañaque, Muntinlupa and Las Piñas, as well as Kawit and Noveleta in Cavite province.
The pipe replacement project allowed the recovery of about 32 million liters per day of potable water, which Maynilad said was enough to supply around 55,000 households.
Maynilad said the project also translated into the creation of 6,000 jobs, including those generated by the contractors and suppliers of the company.
Since its re- privatization in 2007, it had replaced almost 2,000 kilometers of old and damaged pipelines, which approximates the distance between Manila and Bangkok, Thailand, it said.
“This is about 40% of the distribution network Maynilad inherited in 2007 that includes the oldest water system in Asia, with some portions dating back to the Spanish era,” the company said.
Maynilad earlier said that it had spent P1.5 billion in 2017 to build new pumping stations and reservoirs in Las Piñas, Quezon City and Muntinlupa.
At present, Maynilad has 28 pumping stations and 32 reservoirs in strategic locations throughout its west concession area, up from only seven operational pumping stations and reservoirs in 2006 before the company was re-privatized.
Maynilad serves certain portions of the cities of Manila, Quezon and Makati. It also covers Caloocan, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Valenzuela, Navotas and Malabon in Metro Manila.
Outside the Philippine capital, it serves the cities of Cavite, Bacoor and Imus, and the towns of Kawit, Noveleta and Rosario, all in Cavite province.
Maynilad, the largest private water concessionaire in the Philippines in terms of customer base, is an agent and contractor of the state agency Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System for the west zone of the greater Manila area.
Metro Pacific Investments Corp., which has majority stake in Maynilad, is one of three Philippine units of Hong Kong- based First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being Philex Mining Corp. and PLDT, Inc. Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. —