Maynilad targets 24/7 water supply with normal pressure for all customers by 2027

Maynilad Water Services Inc. targets to provide uninterrupted water services with normal water pressure to 88% of its customers by the end of the year, and to all its customers by 2027.

According to Maynilad Chief Operating Officer Randy Estrellado, 80% of the firm’s 9.5 million customers currently have 24/7 water supply with normal pressure, which it seeks to increase by 8 percentage points this 2023.

Maynilad, which services the west zone concession area, also seeks to provide 24/7 water supply with normal pressure to all its customers by 2027 or the end of the current regulation period.

The company earlier unveiled a P220-billion service enhancement program from 2023 to 2027 to boost enhanced water sustainability and climate resilience, of which over half will be for improving the water supply.

“Sinisigurado namin na dapat umabot ang tubig dun sa schedule na sinabi namin, so kung talagang nahihirapan at may problema, dapat nakakapagpadala kami ng tao,” Estrellado said during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay Forum.

[We are making sure that there is water during the schedule that we announced so if there are difficulties and problems, we should be able to deploy our teams.]

The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) last year approved the rate hike request of Maynilad, which sought a P3.29 per cubic meter water rate adjustment starting this January.

Just last month, however, the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System Regulatory Office (MWSS-RO) slapped Maynilad with a P27.477-million penalty, which will be refunded to customers in southern Luzon where interruptions were recorded in December 2022 and this January.

Maynilad has since said that it already agreed with the MWSS-RO on the rebate, and maintenance activities are ongoing to address the water service issues.

Prior to this, the MWSS last September slapped Maynilad with a P9.264-million fine for “unusual and prolonged” service interruptions experienced by customers from May to July 2022.

The MWSS also penalized Maynilad in February 2022 for unusual and prolonged service interruptions within the Putatan Water Treatment Plant supply zone, equivalent to a rebate of P323 in the April bill.

Maynilad currently serves customers in the west zone, which covers the cities of Caloocan, Las Piñas, Makati, Malabon Manila, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Parañaque, Pasay, Quezon, Valenzuela. It also services certain areas in Cavite such as the cities of Bacoor, Cavite, and Imus; and the towns of Kawit, Noveleta, and Rosario. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News