Manila Water signs wastewater project agreement with DND

06/04/10 - Manila Water Company and the Department of National Defense (DND) signed a landmark Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) paving the way for the implementation of the Taguig North Catchment Project (TNCP).

In a statement, MWC said this project will begin with the construction of a sewage treatment plant (STP) in a 2-hectare area within the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB) grounds in Taguig City.

The LNMB STP is one of three large state-of-the-art wastewater improvement facilities that will soon rise in Taguig City and boost efforts to improve the water quality of major river systems in Metro Manila. Two other STPs are soon to be constructed in Baybreeze Subdivision and Bonifacio Global City.

Once completed in 2012, the LNMB STP will have a combined treatment capacity of 60 million liters per day that will cater to the wastewater treatment requirements of around 350,000 people living in Barangay Western Bicutan.

This includes AFPOVAI, Philippine Army Compound, Bonifacio Naval Station, NAMRIA and the Southern Police District Office and portions of Makati City.

MWC president Rene D. Almendras said this project “will contribute significantly in reducing pollution to our river systems.”

As part of the agreement, Manila Water will build an integrated facility utilizing the treated effluent water the STP will produce daily for a water park complete with lagoon and open recreational areas.

Manila Water will also improve and rehabilitate the water system at LNMB and provide sewerage service to the compound.

The project is a crucial component of Manila Water’s P50 billion Three River Wastewater Masterplan which aims to protect the environment by putting up the much-needed wastewater treatment infrastructure that will treat wastewater, thereby preventing the inflow of contaminated water to the Marikina, Pasig and San Juan rivers.

At the end of 2009, 16 percent of the East Zone served by Manila Water is connected to a sewer system. This is expected to increase to 30% within the year, and will continue to improve as more STPs are built.

The construction of more STPs under the Three-River System Project is expected to fully provide for the sewerage requirements of households within the influence areas of those three rivers by 2018. (manila bulletin)