Maynilad builds new P6.75-B Putatan plant

West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. is building a P6.75-billion new water treatment plant in Muntinlupa aimed at enhancing water supply reliability in the southern part of Metro Manila.

The Putatan water treatment plant 2, located near the existing facility in Muntinlupa, will provide an additional 150 million liters per day (MLD) of potable water.

The facility will enhance supply reliability for approximately 1.2 million Maynilad customers in Muntinlupa, Las Piñas and Cavite. It is expected to be completed in May 2018.

This is the first water treatment facility that taps into Laguna Lake as an alternative to the Angat Dam and is the largest membrane-based water treatment plant in the Philippines.

It is also the first of its kind in the country to use largescale microfiltration and reverse osmosis.

Maynilad chief operating officer Randolph Estrellado said climate change conditions have made the quality of raw water from Laguna Lake more variable, forcing Maynilad to reduce water output.

“With the enhanced treatment capacity of this new facility, we can keep our production stable and ensure 24-hour water supply at a stronger pressure of 16 psi (pounds per square inch) for our customers in the south,” he said.

The new plant will feature additional oxidation tanks on its biological activated filtration and dissolved air flotation systems to address manganese presence in the raw water from Laguna Lake.

Its reverse osmosis process also has high salt rejection capacity to eliminate total dissolved solids and other impurities in the lake water.

The water company’s budget for Putatan 2 is part of its P42-billion capital expenditure plan for 2013 up to this year which targets to improve water infrastructure and address water security challenges.

“As the population grows and the need for water supply becomes more urgent, we continue to pursue projects that will ensure longterm water security for our customers. Through this, we can enhance service levels for existing customers and also sustain expansion goals,” Maynilad president Ramoncito Fernandez said.

Upon completion of Putatan 2, Maynilad will have four water treatment plants with a combined production capacity of about 2,700 MLD for its over nine million customers in the West Zone.

The company is owned and managed by Maynilad Water Holdings Co. Inc., a joint venture between Metro Pacific Investments Corp., DMCI Holdings and Marubeni Corp.