Plant Tour at Maynilad Paco Water Reclamation Facility
Last May 27, I was invited for an Educational Tour with Maynilad Water Services. I only know Maynilad as a source of water for commercial and residential areas. I have no idea that they offer other services as well and do so much more for the environment.
Our group arrived early in the morning at Maynilad Paco Water Reclamation Facility. Our experience allowed us to understand Maynilad’s environmental goals and learn about their water services.
Fact: Aside from delivering potable water in the West Zone, Maynilad also provides wastewater services. The company also collects, transports, cleans and disposes used water so that it can be cleaned and safely discharged to receiving bodies of water.
The Paco Water Reclamation Facility is one of the water treatment plants (sewage, septage, sewage and septage) of Maynilad. The company has been able to treat almost 473,000 million liters of wastewater for the past decade.
To better understand Maynilad water services, here’s an infographic of an urban water cycle.
What is Wastewater and How is it Treated?
Wastewater is defined as the “water that has been used in the home, in a business, or as part of an industrial process”. In my case, it’s the water that my family uses to take a bath, wash the dishes, and clean the entire house with. Then the wastewater goes to… where else but our rivers and other bodies of water.
Did you know that Maynilad consumers consume or use 35 gallons of water per person per day and about 80% of the water consumed turns into wastewater? This is based from a study by the University of the Philippines. Imagine kung gaano karaming tubig ang nagagamit natin sa araw-araw!
I’ve been shown how wastewater is treated, or in other words — cleaned or cleansed — before being discharged to nearby bodies of water. Even though it was difficult for me to understand most of the technical terms used during the on-site lecture, basically what the treatment plant does is collect wastewater and treat it first so it’ll come out safe for the species in receiving bodies of water. So bago dumeretso sa ilog, dumadaan muna sa filter.
Some of Maynilad’s customers are connected to a sewerage system, which conveys wastewater from households to Sewage Treatment Plants (STP), and from there the treatment process starts. We were told that they have specific microorganisms [housed inside treatment plants] to treat the water or break down some unwanted materials and substances.
Here are some of the photos from our plant tour. 🙂
Estero de Santibañez: Then and Now
The transformation and rehabilitation of Estero de Santibañez is evidence enough that anything is possible. It has experienced a complete turn around with the help from volunteers and ‘River Warriors’. Almost nothing thrived in the filthy river, but through the collective efforts from the government, from the community, and from Maynilad, the estero now looks unspoiled and green. Click the arrow on the photo below to see the video.
Help Support Maynilad’s Efforts
Maynilad serves more than 1.4 million people with sewerage services as of 2016. Their services have reached Tondo, Sampaloc, South Manila, Malabon, Navotas, Caloocan, portions of Quezon City, Magallanes Village in Makati City, and Ayala Alabang Village and surrounding areas in Muntinlupa City. Meanwhile, areas that are not sewered are served by Maynilad through septic tank desludging services.
We can support Maynilad’s efforts to protect our communities and the environment by keeping in mind these helpful reminders:
1. Connect to Maynilad Sewer Lines
For sewered areas, they can connect to Maynilad sewer lines to ensure that their wastes are discharged properly. Maynilad is currently putting up new facilities to help more people.
2. Request for Septic Tank Cleaning
Your septic tank MUST be desludged regularly to prevent overflowing. Maynilad offers septic tank cleaning at no extra charge if you have not been served for the past 5-7 years. All you have to do is coordinate with your barangay hall, call the Maynilad hotline 1626, and send your requests through Maynilad’s social media pages. Maynilad will then deploy vacuum trucks that collect septage from septic tanks and bring it to its Septage Treatment Plants (SpTP) for processing before it is discharged to a receiving body of water.
As of March 2017, the company has managed to clean almost 521,000 septic tanks in the past decade. Ano pa ang hinihintay mo? Ipasipsip na ang inyong septic tank!
3. Practice Proper Solid Waste Segregation
Wastewater management starts at home. We can help our community in our own little ways by waste sorting or waste segregation. This simple task reduces land, air, and water pollution by considerable amounts.
Just recently, our barangay started encouraging everyone to segregate and I’ve been reading about waste management how-tos to learn about proper waste segregation.
4. Be Mindful of What Goes Down the Drain
Avoid throwing garbage, chemicals, and oil down drains and toilets since they may clog sewer facilities. Solid wastes should go where they belong and chemicals must be carefully disposed.
My father taught me not to drain cooking oil in the sink because oil hardens and solidifies through time and may eventually cause clogged pipes.
If our wastewater won’t be treated, our rivers and even our groundwater will become contaminated. Inhabitants near these bodies of water may have a higher risk of getting sick. There’s Diarrhea, Hepatitis A, Leptospirosis, and more. Effects on our environment include fish kills and eutrophication (dense growth of plant life and death of animal life). These will affect the health and the livelihood of many families.
As a parent, I dream of a better future for my children. That they may still enjoy the beauty of nature and reap its countless benefits. That they may not get sick all the time due to high air and water pollution levels. That they may live in happy communities with people working together towards a common goal.
Let’s start now for the future of our children. Let’s work with Maynilad to protect ourselves and the environment.
Maynilad Water Services Inc.
www.mayniladwater.com.ph/
https://www.facebook.com/MayniladWater
https://twitter.com/maynilad
This is a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are mine.
Published: 2017-06-19 20:01:45
This is a real eye opener. I never knew that Maynilad had such initiatives to save our environment. I think it would be nice if they can offer the same for school fieldtrips.
This is really an educational tour, I hope my son will be able to visit this in one of their Field Trip. Like you, whenever I fry something, I don’t put the leftover cooking oil in the sink because it will clog the pipes. My mom was OC pa nga, pinupunasan pa yung pan ng tissue paper, just to make sure na walang natirang oil sa pan bago hugasan. 🙂
Wow! Like you, all I know about Maynilad before was they supply water, nothing more. This one’s definitely an educational tour! I’ve seen a clip online before about waste water management and I think it’s really awesome for them to come up with the idea.
We also had a tour within the Maynilad complex and I find it real educational. Though I support water conservation, I didnt care about the sewage as I dont know anything about it. The tour enlightened me of the importance of getting the services of Maynilad to clean our septic tank. Plus, I got the chance to tour with my boy which also helped him be mindful of the importance of water, wastewater, and taking care of the environment.