Manila Water Company (MWC) continues to extend cross-border sharing to Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (MWSI) to alleviate supply woes in the latter’s concession area.

This cross-border sharing deal allows Maynilad to tap treated water from Manila Water’s distribution network.

In two locations along Aurora Boulevard in Quezon City, Manila Water has been providing up to 22 million liters of water per day (MLD) since the fourth quarter of 2022. To further accelerate and bump up supply to Maynilad’s network, Manila Water also energized another sharing point on the East Service Road in Paranaque on February 15 this year. As of May 3, this sharing point adds up to 1.28 MLD to the West Zone concessionaire.

There are also three sharing sites on standby that are ready to assist Maynilad if the need arises. These are in Don Jose (Kimco Subdivision), Greenville, and along West Avenue in Manila Water’s Quezon City Service Area.

Manila Water has also agreed to four additional cross-border sharing sites. The Payatas-East La Mesa site could provide an additional 5 MLD to Maynilad. At Manila Water’s Quezon City Service Area, the Luzon-Mapayapa and Sauyo sites have the potential to transfer another 5 MLD. On the other hand, the A. Francisco site under Manila Water’s Makati-Mandaluyong Service Area is expected to provide another 10 MLD to Maynilad.

This move from Manila Water further supports the National Water Resources Board’s recent decision, where Maynilad gets an additional allocation from Angat Dam of 2 cubic meters per second until end of May.

“We are in this together. The effect of El Nino knows no boundaries. We will continue to extend help to our fellow concessionaire for as long as we can still provide 24/7 water supply to our customers in the East Zone of Metro Manila and parts of Rizal,” Corporate Communications Affairs Group Director Jeric Sevilla said.

With all these sharing points in place, Manila Water still assures its 7.4 million customers in the East Zone of Metro Manila and parts of Rizal that there is adequate supply of water throughout summer and beyond. The East Zone concessionaire has carried out measures to increase efficiency in its water network and keep its non-revenue water (NRW) at manageable levels. Manila Water’s NRW is kept at a healthy 12-13%, which is among the lowest in Asia and at par with the developed countries in the world. 

Additionally, Manila Water has set into motion its contingency and augmentation plans to ensure that water supply remains uninterrupted with the impending El Nino which is very likely to hit the country in the last quarter of this year which may persist up to the early months of 2024.

Among the additional water supply sources being tapped include the maximization of the Cardona Water Treatment Plant to about 110 MLD, operation of deepwells located at various points with the East Zone which can deliver up to 115 MLD, commissioning of the 15-20 MLD Marikina Portable Treatment Plant and backwash recovery within the treatment plants which can produce an additional 30 MLD.