Maynilad allots P3.5B for hybrid sewer system expansion 

West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. has allocated over P3 billion to expand the implementation of the Hybrid Sewer System (HSS) concept in its wastewater projects across its franchise area.

In a news release, Maynilad said it has adopted the HSS concept to help boost its collection of wastewater coming from households that are not eligible for individual sewer connections due to their location in narrow alleys, easements, and other fringe areas.

To expand the implementation of the HSS concept, the water concessionaire said it has allotted P3.5 billion.

Maynilad explained that the HSS concept involves utilizing the drainage connected to the discharge outlet of residences to catch wastewater.

Under this concept, the water distributor said untreated wastewater coming from households will be intercepted by the hybrid system before it flows into the nearest body of water and diverted to a sewer line for conveyance to a Maynilad sewage treatment facility, where it will undergo proper decontamination before its release to the environment.

Maynilad said it first adopted the HSS concept at the height of the pandemic in 2020 to continue rendering sewerage services during the lockdown periods.

The company said the laying of sewer pipelines using the HSS concept is also more time- and cost efficient, as it no longer has to install a complicated sewer network to connect individual houses located on the outskirts of the city.

“Even in sewered areas where customers are typically given individual sewer connections, there are certain households that are difficult to connect to the existing sewerage system because of their location. The engineering solution we came up with was the HSS, which enabled us to provide sewerage services even to those customers in the periphery of the system, especially those in informal settlements,” said Maynilad chief operating officer Randolph Estrellado.

Maynilad said it has already served around 93,000 customers in the City of Manila using the hybrid system, which prevented the direct discharge of untreated wastewater to the following creeks: Kabulusan, Estero dela Reina, Magdalena, Quiapo, San Lazaro, Sampaloc, San Miguel, Binondo, Maypajo, San Sebastian, Sunog de Apog, Uli-Uli, Valencia, Vitas, Estero de Paco, Estero de Balete, Estero de Concordia, Estero de Pandacan, Estero de Provisor & Tanque, Estero de Santebañez, and San Antonio de Abad.

Maynilad is the concessionaire of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System for the West Zone of the Greater Manila Area, which covers the cities of Manila (all but portions of San Andres and Sta. Ana), Quezon City (west of the San Juan River, West Avenue, EDSA, Congressional, Mindanao Avenue, the northern part starting from the Districts of the Holy Spirit and Batasan Hills), Makati (west of the South Super Highway), Caloocan, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Valenzuela, Navotas, and Malabon, all in Metro Manila; the cities of Cavite, Bacoor, and Imus; and the towns of Kawit, Noveleta, and Rosario, all in Cavite Province. —VBL, GMA Integrated News