BIZ BUZZ: Will you drink sewage water?

Can you imagine drinking water from the sewage treatment plant? There’s existing technology that treats wastewater and turns it to something drinkable as a way to promote the circular economy and stabilize water resources amid climate change.

Countries like the United States, India, France and Singapore have shrugged off the kadiri (yuck!) concern, but Namibia was the first in the world to recycle municipal wastewater into direct potable water back in 1968.

Singapore, a water-importing state, produces craft beer brewed with treated wastewater called NEWBrew. The brand created a lot of buzz when showcased at the recent COP29 UN Climate Summit.

Here in the Philippines, Maynilad Water Services Inc. piloted in 2022 the treatment of sewage water to potable water in two barangays in Parañaque—with the consent of the community and the local government and with supervision by the Department of Health.

“We are focused on two barangays, so that it’s easier to monitor. Kami mismo uminom (we ourselves drank from it), even the regulator, even the mayor,” Maynilad president Ramoncito Fernandez said in a recent media chat.

This project now produces about 4 million liters per day, the Maynilad chief said.

“The [usual] process is from sewer, we make it clean, then release back to the river. But [here] we added two more processes. Instead of throwing it to the river, we added more filtration,” he said.

In mid-2023, Maynilad obtained the permanent operational permit for its New Water Treatment Plant, after showing consistent adherence to the Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water and strict compliance with the Code on Sanitation of the Philippines.

The project was cited as “Water Reuse Project of the Year” at the Global Water Awards 2023 held in Berlin, Germany.

It’s definitely something that Maynilad, which is preparing to go public in 2025 or 2026, has to keep in its arsenal to address water scarcity, especially during the El Niño dry spell. —Doris Dumlao-Abadilla

‘Don’t be greedy’

The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) reminds Filipino consumers to be mindful of their rice consumption, especially this Christmas season.

“Let us not be greedy and eat small portions of rice. Reducing our waste can go a long way in managing our consumption,” PhilRice head of development communication division Hazel Antonio-Beltran said (translated from Filipino) in a Zoom interview on Monday.

“But most of all, I hope that when we eat, aside from the plate wastage, we are mindful of what we eat, because sometimes, when we eat more than we can burn, that also becomes a waste because it can cause illness,” she stressed.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), diabetes was the fourth leading cause of death in the Philippines, with 36,039 cases recorded in 2023.

Furthermore, the International Diabetes Federation reported that one in every 14 Filipino adults had been diagnosed with diabetes in 2021. Higher consumption of white rice was the main culprit. – Jordeene B. Lagare