Laguna Lake water project bags award

The Poblacion Water Treatment Plant, a facility that draws water from Laguna Lake, emerged as the “Water Project of the Year” in the prestigious Global Water Awards presented in London on April 15.

Also known as the Laguna Lake Drinking Water Treatment Plant (DWTP), the project was chosen for having “the greatest innovation in terms of optimizing its physical or environmental footprint,” the awards-giving body said.

The annual Global Water Awards were presented at the Global Water Summit, a major business conference for the water industry worldwide. The awards aim to recognize excellence in the international water industry by rewarding initiatives that contribute significantly to the advancement of the industry.

The Laguna Lake DWTP was the lone awardee from the Philippines.

The state-of-the-art drinking water treatment plant is being built in two phases and will have a capacity of 150 million liters per day. It will help solve the problem of poor water quality in the area, using advanced sludge and algae treatment processes, among other technologies.

Maynilad tapped the consortium composed of Spanish company Acciona and Consunji-led DMCI Holdings Inc. for the design, construction, operation, maintenance, and commissioning of the Laguna Lake DWTP. Global firm Arup serves as a consultant.

During the Global Water Awards, Acciona was also hailed the “Desalination Company of the Year” for its contributions to the desalination industry in 2023. This is the fifth year that Acciona received such recognition.

One of the world’s leading companies in water services and desalination projects, Acciona also won the Best Water Company Award in 2010, 2013, and 2017. Last year, it was chosen to construct the Casablanca Seawater Desalination Plant in Morocco, which will be the second-largest desalination plant in the world.