Maynilad starts work on biggest sewage treatment plant

Maynilad Water Services Inc. yesterday broke ground for its biggest sewage treatment plant so far, which as part of its commitments as a concessionaire of Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System.

Dubbed Camana (Caloocan-Malabon-Navotas) Water Reclamation Facility, the P10.5-billion project is expected to help clean up waterways flowing to Manila Bay and also improve sanitation conditions in three cities.

Expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2021, the Camana plant is designed to treat about 205 million liters of wastewater daily, generated by about 1.2 million Maynilad customers in South Caloocan, Malabon and Navotas.

The plant would be built on a 16-hectare lot along Dagat-dagatan Avenue Extension in Barangay Maypajo, Caloocan City. Maynilad would lay about 85 kilometers of accompanying sewer lines to bring wastewater from households and establishments to the facility.

“The completion of our Camana treatment facility will increase Maynilad’s sewerage coverage to 47 percent, up from only 6 percent in 2006 before [the West Zone service] was reprivatized,” company president and chief executive Ramoncito S. Fernandez said during the groundbreaking.

“As in previous implementations of our wastewater projects, we ask for the support of the local government units and communities so that we can facilitate completion and mitigate the impact on traffic of our activities,” Fernandez said.

According to Fernandez, the new project is part of Maynilad’s P200-billion wastewater investment plan covering 2019 to 2037.

The company is facing penalties of close to P1 billion for violations of the Clean Water Act. Maynilad has asked the Supreme Court to reconsider the order.