Company type | Publicly-held Public Utility |
---|---|
PSE: MWC | |
Founded | January 6, 1997 |
Headquarters | Quezon City, Philippines |
Key people | Jocot de Dios (President and CEO) |
Services | Water delivery Sewerage and sanitation |
₱3.75 billion (2021) | |
Parent | Trident Water Holdings Company, Inc. |
Website | manilawater |
Manila Water Company, Inc. has the exclusive right to provide water and used water (wastewater) services [1] to over six million people in the East Zone of Metro Manila. [2] It is a subsidiary of Enrique Razon's Trident Water Holdings Company, Inc., who acquired stakes from the country's oldest conglomerate, Ayala Corporationstarting in 2020 [3] and completely taking over by 2024. [4]
Incorporated on January 6, 1997, Manila Water became a publicly listed company on March 18, 2005. It is the east concessionaire of Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System during its privatization on August 1, 1997, with its counterpart Maynilad Water Services, Inc. as the west concessionaire. The 25-year water concession agreement inked with MWSS was expected to terminate in 2022. In 2009, its concession agreement with the MWSS was extended by another 15 years up to 2037.
Manila Water Company, a publicly listed company and a subsidiary of Ayala Corporation, holds the exclusive right to provide water and used water services to over six million people in the Manila Water Concession, particularly the East Zone of Metro Manila and Rizal Province consisting of 23 cities and municipalities.
The National Water Crisis Act [5] enacted by the Philippine government paved the way for government-run Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) to turn over the operation of water utilities in the East Zone concession to Ayala-led Manila Water, and the West Zone of Metro Manila to Maynilad Water Services, Inc. in August 1997. This was brought about by the various water supply problems when only 26 percent of the area's population had access to round-the-clock water supply due to high system losses caused by illegal connections, meter tampering, and leaking pipelines. This Concession Agreement was originally for a period of 25 years, due to expire in 2022. In 2009, it was extended by another 15 years by MWSS and the Philippine government, extending the concession until 2037.
As the agent and concessionaire of MWSS, the Concession Agreement gives Manila Water the right to the use the land and operational fixed assets, and the exclusive right to extract and treat raw water, distribute and sell water, and collect, transport, treat and dispose used water discharged by the sewerage system in the East Zone.
In late 2019, leading figures Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala along with Manny Pangilinan of Maynilad, were threatened of arrest by then President Rodrigo Duterte due to accusations of syndicated estafa, economic sabotage, among others. [6] [7] This was after MWC won a tariff-related international arbitration against the government. [8] The sequence of events resulted to the eventual re-negotiation of MWC's concession contract, and within two months Ayala selling the controlling stake to Trident Water Holdings Company, Inc., a subsidiary of Prime Infrastructure Holdings Inc. of the Razon Group. [3] Four years later in 2024, Ayala Corporation completely divested its voting stakes to the Trident. [4] It however retains economic interests until 2029 through preferred shares. [9] Some quarters say [10] that Ayala's divestment was a fallout of Duterte's actions in 2019.
Since 1997, the company has been significantly improving its water and used water services by expanding its distribution lines and eliminating system losses in its coverage areas, resulting in increased water availability from 26% in 1997 to 99% of the central distribution system to date.
Manila Water provides water treatment, water distribution, sewerage and sanitation services to over six million people in the East Zone to a broad range of residential, semi-business, commercial, and industrial customers in 23 cities and municipalities:
Manila Water gets its water from Angat Dam at the Angat River in Norzagaray, Bulacan, which is 38 meters (125 ft) north of Metro Manila. [11] It is a rockfill dam with a spillway equipped with three gates at a spilling level of 217 meters (712 ft). Angat Dam supplies 96% of Metro Manila's water needs with a storage capacity of about 850 million cubic meters (30×10 9 cu ft). Five auxiliary turbines release water from Angat Dam, where it is diverted to the two tunnels going to Ipo Dam.
Ipo Dam is a gravity-concrete dam located about 75 meters (246 ft) downstream of the Angat Dam in Bulacan. Primarily a diversion dam, its elevation is maintained at 101 meters (331 ft) as it delivers water into tunnels that lead to La Mesa reservoir and Balara Filtration plants through three tunnels leading to three settling basins in Bigti, Norzagaray, Bulacan. Five aqueducts connected to these settling basins will then deliver a maximum of 4 billion liters (1.1×10 9 U.S. gal) of water daily at the Novaliches Portal, which will then be conveyed through three open channels going to the Balara Treatment Plant.
La Mesa Dam is an earth dam located in Novaliches, Quezon City and it serves as a primary sedimentation basin prior to water treatment in the Balara and East La Mesa Treatment Plants. Its maximum level is at 80.15 meters (263.0 ft). During dry months, La Mesa Dam may be used as a buffer or reliability dam to provide supply. It can store water that is good for 19 days of Manila Water's supply requirements. Its critical dam level is at 69 meters above sea level. Manila Water has also begun drawing water from the Laguna de Bay, which is treated in and distributed from the Cardona Water Treatment Plant located in Brgy. Del Remedio, Cardona, Rizal. Commencing operations on March 14, 2019, the water treatment plant is now providing up to 100 million liters (26,000,000 U.S. gal) of potable water per day to several towns in Rizal, augmenting water supply to Manila Water's concession area while alternative major water sources are being developed.
Manila Water operates four water treatment plants: Balara Filter 1, Balara Filter 2, and East La Mesa, all located in Quezon City, as well as the Cardona Water Treatment Plant in Rizal.
The Balara Treatment Plants filter the equivalent of 6.5 billion glasses of water every day. The Balara Filter 1, operational since 1935, has a treatment capacity of 470 million liters (120,000,000 U.S. gal) per day. On the other hand, Balara Filter 2 has been operational since 1958 and treats 1,130 million liters (300,000,000 U.S. gal) of water daily. Both treatment plants deliver water to Metro Manila's eastern area.
The East La Mesa Treatment Plant, located in Payatas, Quezon City, has a capacity of treating 150 million liters (40,000,000 U.S. gal) of water per day. Since 2012, it supplies water to far-flung expansion areas in the Rizal Province, improving the supply balance of the entire network.
The Cardona plant, with a capacity of treating 100 million liters (26,000,000 U.S. gal) of water per day, employs a more rigorous and complex treatment process and types of equipment compared to other existing water treatment plants because of the diverse quality of water from Laguna de Bay. The process includes treatment for suspended solids, organic matter, algae, and dissolved solids. The treatment plant is complemented by 45 kilometers (28 mi) of transmission lines plus 61 kilometers (38 mi) of distribution lines.
Manila Water's distribution system consists of transmission and distribution lines, pumping stations, and reservoirs to ensure that potable water is delivered to all customers. Pipelines laid and maintained across the East Zone since 1997 have spanned over 5,000 kilometers (3,100 mi), serving 99 percent of the company's concession area with a water supply pressure of 7 bar and above.
On a regular basis, Manila Water's Laboratory Services processes an average of around 900 water samples from the distribution network monthly. This is to ensure that water to be delivered to the customers passes not only the regulatory standards on quality, but also to 100% comply with the Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water (PNSDW).
Manila Water also provides sewerage and sanitation services.
Sewerage services of Manila Water include the operation and maintenance of sewer pipeline networks that collect and convey sewage to a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) which cleans the used water before safely returning the treated water to rivers.
To address the sewage and sanitation needs of its service areas, Manila Water constructed compact or “package” sewage treatment plants to serve specific areas or communities. Manila Water also utilizes a Combined Sewer-Drainage System in the collection of used water from households, utilizing the existing municipal drainage system for used water conveyance. This minimizes the laying of separate sewer lines.
Manila Water has laid over 300 kilometers (190 mi) of sewer pipelines that goes to 38 sewage treatment plants with a combined treatment capacity of 310 million liters (82,000,000 U.S. gal) daily.
Around 85 percent of Metro Manila's East Zone are not yet covered by a sewer system. These households still utilize their own septic tanks that contains used water called septage. Since septic tanks only get partial treatment, these will eventually leak into the environment if not maintained properly. To address the possible leakage of septic tanks into the rivers and other water systems, Manila Water offers a sanitation service that collects the sludge from septic tanks. Siphoned sludge is then brought to Septage Treatment Plants where it is treated and returned to the environment safely. Manila Water manages two septage treatment plants that treats collected sludge to safely return the used water back to the environment. This sanitation program is carried out through barangay officials.
A subsidiary of Manila Water Company, Inc., Manila Water Philippine Ventures (MWPV) covers the country's key metropolitan areas including Cebu, Laguna, Tanauan City in Batangas, Clark in Pampanga, Zamboanga City, Tagum City in Davao and key locations in Bulacan, Pangasinan, Isabela, Nueva Ecija, Iloilo and Samar.
Manila Water Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. (MWAP) currently provides half of the bulk water requirements of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and leakage reduction programs in Bandung, Indonesia and Yangon, Myanmar. Recently, the company has acquired a stake in East Water, a publicly listed water supply and distribution company in Thailand and in PT Sarana Tirta Ungaran in Indonesia. [12]
Under MWAP are two affiliated companies in Vietnam, namely Thu Duc Water B.O.O Corporation and Kenh Dong Water Supply Joint Stock Company, both supplying treated water to Saigon Water Corporation (SAWACO) under a take-or-pay arrangement. Also under MWAP are Saigon Water Infrastructure Corporation (Saigon Water), a holding company listed in the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange, Cu Chi Water Supply Sewerage Company, Ltd. (Cu Chi Water) and another company tasked to pursue non-revenue water reduction projects in Vietnam called Asia Water Network Solutions (Asia Water).
Lastly, Manila Water Total Solutions Corporation (MWTS), a wholly owned subsidiary, handles after-the-meter products and services. Its current offerings include environmental services like waste-to-energy.
As of December 31, 2023: [13]
Laguna de Bay, also known as Laguna Lake and alternatively spelled "Laguna de Bae", is the largest lake in the Philippines. It is located southeast of Metro Manila, between the provinces of Laguna to the south and Rizal to the north. A freshwater lake, it has a surface area of 911–949 km2, with an average depth of about 2.8 meters and an elevation of about one meter above sea level. The lake is shaped like a crow's foot, with two peninsulas jutting out from the northern shore and filling the large volcanic Laguna Caldera. In the middle of the lake is the large island of Talim.
Norzagaray, officially the Municipality of Norzagaray, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 136,064 people.
The La Mesa Dam and Reservoir is an earth dam in Quezon City, Philippines. Its reservoir can hold up to 50.5 million cubic meters, occupying an area of 27 square kilometers (10 sq mi). It is part of the Angat-Ipo-La Mesa water system, which supplies most of the water in Metro Manila.
The Philippines' contemporary water supply system dates back to 1946, after the country declared independence. Government agencies, local institutions, non-government organizations, and other corporations are primarily in charge of the operation and administration of water supply and sanitation in the country.
Water privatization in Metro Manila began when the then President of the Philippines, Fidel Ramos, instructed the government in 1994 to solve what he called the water crisis in Manila by engaging with the private sector. In 1997, two concession contracts for the Eastern and Western halves of Metro Manila were awarded after an open competition. The concessions represent the largest population served by private operators in the developing world. Both winning companies, Maynilad Water Services in West Manila and especially Manila Water in East Manila, submitted bids with extremely low water tariffs. The tariffs proved to be too low to finance the investments needed to improve performance, especially after the East Asian financial crisis and the devaluation of the Philippine Peso.
Angat Dam is a concrete water reservoir embankment hydroelectric dam in the Philippines that supplies Metro Manila and nearby provinces with water. It was a part of the Angat-Ipo-La Mesa water system. The reservoir supplies about 90 percent of raw water requirements for Metro Manila through the facilities of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System and it irrigates about 28,000 hectares of farmland in the provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga.
Water supply and sanitation in Malaysia is characterised by numerous achievements, as well as some challenges. Universal access to water supply at affordable tariffs is a substantial achievement. The government has also shown a commitment to make the sector more efficient, to create a sustainable funding mechanism and to improve the customer orientation of service providers through sector reforms enacted in 2006. The reform creates a modern institutional structure for the water sector, including an autonomous regulatory agency, an asset management company and commercialised state water companies that have to reach certain key performance indicators that will be monitored by the regulatory agency. The government has also stated its intention not to embark on new private sector contracts for water provision, after a bout of such contracts during the 1990s showed mixed results.
Water supply and sanitation in Japan is characterized by numerous achievements and some challenges. The country has achieved universal access to water supply and sanitation, has one of the lowest levels of water distribution losses in the world, regularly exceeds its own strict standards for the quality of drinking water and treated waste water, uses an effective national system of performance benchmarking for water and sanitation utilities, makes extensive use of both advanced and appropriate technologies such as the jōkasō on-site sanitation system, and has pioneered the payment for ecosystem services before the term was even coined internationally. Some of the challenges are a decreasing population, declining investment, fiscal constraints, ageing facilities, an ageing workforce, a fragmentation of service provision among thousands of municipal utilities, and the vulnerability of parts of the country to droughts that are expected to become more frequent due to climate change.
The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, formerly known as the National Waterworks and Sewerage System Authority (NAWASA), is the government agency that is in charge of water privatization in Metro Manila and nearby provinces of Cavite and Rizal in the Philippines. It split the water concession into an east and a west concession with Manila Water being awarded one contract and Maynilad Water Services being awarded the other.
Maynilad Water Services, Inc., better known as Maynilad, is the water and wastewater services provider of cities and municipalities that form the West Zone of the Greater Manila Area in the Philippines. It is an agent and contractor of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS). Maynilad is one of two private water providers in Metro Manila, the other being Manila Water.
The Kaliwa Low Dam was proposed by the Philippine Government in 2012, was one of several bulk water supply projects on the upper portion of the Kaliwa River Watershed that have been proposed but ultimately shelved by the Philippine Government since the 1970s.
Several bulk water supply projects on the upper portion of the Kaliwa River Watershed have been proposed by the Philippine Government since the 1970s, with the intent of relieving Metro Manila of its overdependence on the water supplied by Angat Dam. Most of these have focused on a particular site in Barangay Laiban in Tanay, Rizal, on the upper portion of the Kaliwa River Watershed to which the Laiban Dam belongs, and the projects have thus often been referred to as Laiban dam or Kaliwa dam, although multiple projects have been referred to using either name.
Carriedo Fountain is a fountain in Santa Cruz, Manila, Philippines. It was built in honour of the 18th-century Capitán General of Manila, Don Francisco Carriedo y Peredo, benefactor of Manila's pipe water system. It was moved three times before its current location at Plaza Santa Cruz in front of the Santa Cruz Church.
The Balara Filters Park is a 60-hectare (150-acre) park located in the Diliman village of Pansol in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, adjacent to the University of the Philippines Diliman main campus. It is bounded by Katipunan Avenue on the west, Capitol Hills Golf and Country Club on the north, and the upscale, gated village of La Vista along its south and east.
The Angat Watershed Forest Reserve is a conservation area that protects the drainage basin in the southern Sierra Madre range north of Metro Manila in the Philippines where surface water empties into the Angat River and its distributaries. It is spread over an area of 62,309 hectares in the eastern portion of Bulacan and northern Rizal province at an altitude of between 490 and 1,206 metres. The conservation area also extends to the provinces of Nueva Ecija and Quezon and is centered on an artificial lake created by the Angat Dam which, together with the Ipo Dam located 7.5 kilometres (4.7 mi) downstream, supply 97% of the water requirement of Metro Manila via an aqueduct system to the La Mesa Dam and Reservoir and the Balara Filtration Plant in Quezon City. The Angat Dam and Reservoir is also a major source of hydroelectricity for Metro Manila and surrounding provinces, contributing some 200 megawatts to the Luzon grid. The watershed is a popular birdwatching site and is a biodiversity hotspot containing most of the remaining closed-canopy forests in Central Luzon.
The water crisis in Metro Manila, Philippines is the ongoing crisis that affected most of the households with a water interruption. The crisis usually occurs in dry season from March to May. The water suppliers, Manila Water and Maynilad, held responsibility for the crisis.
The Marikina North Sewage Treatment Plant is a sewage treatment plant in Marikina, Metro Manila, Philippines. Managed by Manila Water, the facility is the largest sewage treatment plant in the Philippines processing 100 million liters (26,000,000 U.S. gal) of used water daily.
The Umiray–Angat Transbasin Project (UATP) is an expansion project of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) for the supply of the Angat Dam reservoir. The 13-kilometer-long (8.1 mi) 4.30-meter (14.1 ft) diameter tunnel-aqueduct system diverts waters from the Umiray River east of the Angat Basin. 20–30% of the water that is consumed in Metro Manila and its outlying regions is supplied by the Umiray Basin.
Gulu Water Supply and Sanitation Project (GWSSP), also Gulu Water Supply and Sewerage System, is a water intake, purification, distribution and waste water collection and disposal system in the city of Gulu, the largest urban centre in the Northern Region of Uganda. In October 2020, the Uganda government concluded Phase 1 of the improvement of water supply and sanitation in the city, with funding from the World Bank, KfW and the Government of Uganda. Phase 2 improvements are expected to start in 2021, with funding from the World Bank, KfW and the Commonwealth Development Corporation.
The Sumag River Diversion Project (SRDP) is an expansion project of the Umiray-Angat Transbasin Project (UATP) Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) for the supply of the Angat Dam reservoir. The 600 meter long and 2.50 meter diameter tunnel-aqueduct system diverts waters from the Sumag River, a tributary of the Umiray River, east of the Angat Basin. The SRDP is forecasted to add 188 mld to the existing 777.6 mld capacity of the UATP.