Manila Water Company: Pasig now fully covered by Manila Water

Pasig now fully covered by Manila Water

Posted: Friday April 20, 2007

Pasig City takes a quantum leap from an era of acute water shortage to a regime of stable supply of potable water for every household.

According to the latest Public Assessment on Water Services (PAWS) survey conducted by the University of the Philippines National Engineering Center (UP NEC), Manila Water has fully saturated Pasig’s more than 80,000 households—a feat considering that in 2003, the same survey reported that only 30 percent of Pasig’s 30 barangays were enjoying efficient water service.

The Metro-wide PAWS survey by UP NEC sponsored by the state-run Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) revealed that in 2001, only three percent of surveyed barangays gave Manila Water the “very good” rating. In 2003, MWCI’s “very good” rating jumped up to 28 percent, and finally to 98 percent as of last year.

Pasig’s low-income areas are the main beneficiaries as 32,000 households were reached by Manila Water’s Tubig Para sa Barangay (Water for the Community) program.

Inspired by a 100-percent customer satisfaction rating in Pasig, MWCI earnestly implemented service enhancement and facility upgrading programs, including the laying of some 65 kilometers of pipelines, complemented by community-based health and sanitation projects.

Public sanitation in the city has also dramatically improved with the construction of sewage treatment plants, notably in the Karangalan area. Construction of other wastewater projects is also underway in other areas in addition to the continuing septic tank emptying program.

Manila Water revealed that it spent some P1.2 billion in its Pasig operations, but hastened to add that every peso was well worth the investment.

Manila Water officials pointed out that during the “formation and realignment of the Pasig Business Area, the company achieved steady growth in services as indicated by the hefty increase in billed volume from 123.4 million liters/day (mld) in 2005 to 148.8 mld as of last year. During the same period, water volume lost to leaks and pilferage substantially dropped from 22 percent to 12 percent.

“Recovered losses were redirected towards the fringes of Pasig City, providing for mostly low-income communities,” MWCI said.