ILOILO City – Intermittent low water pressure may be experienced in some service areas of Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD).
Some distribution lines would be shut down for the rehabilitation of MIWD’s water treatment plant.
The state-owned water district is moving to improve its service while it parries the challenge to its franchise area posed by other interested water distributors.
Metro Iloilo Bulk Water Supply Corporation (MIB), the joint venture company between Metro Pacific Water (MPW) and MIWD, is upgrading the treatment plant from 37 million liters per day (MLD) to 50 MLD design capacity.
The rehabilitation started on Feb. 26 and would last until March 31.
State-of-the-art components would replace existing old electrical and mechanical parts of the water treatment plant.
“There are some minor civil works, too,” said Eng. Rolixto Jodieres Jr., MIB’s chief operating officer.
MIB will provide alternative water supply as part of the mitigating measures.
The rehabilitation and upgrade will result in a partial shutdown of the water treatment plant, reducing water supply from 35 MLD to 26 MLD.
Under a P2.8-billion joint venture agreement with MIWD, MIB would work for the rehabilitation, operation, management, and expansion of water production facilities.
“The water treatment plant upgrade is expected to boost our water delivery capacity and is a step towards ensuring that every Ilonggo will have access to clean and potable water,” said Dr. Jessica Salas, MIWD chair.
She asked consumers to “bear with us” as MIWD works to transform the water district into a world-class water service provider.
“We also enjoin local government units to support us in this initiative that aims to upgrade the quality of service of our water district,” said Salas.
The water treatment plant has an average production capacity of 35 MLD. This is not often enough to meet the growing demand for water brought by population increase and recent economic movement in Iloilo.
Middle of last year, the Villar-owned Prime Water Infrastructure Corp. managed to secure from the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) a non-exclusive franchise for a period of 25 years to service all barangays in the city.
According to MIWD, however, Prime Water should instead seek a joint venture with it.
December last year, another company announced it was seeking a franchise, too, to distribute water in this city – Manila Water Philippine Ventures (MWPV), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Ayala-led water industry leader, Manila Water Company.
MWPV particularly wanted to operate in the districts of Mandurriao, Molo and Arevalo.
It actually submitted its franchise application in December 2017 yet. Its officials complained it remained un-acted while that of Prime Water – which was filed only in early 2018, was quickly approved by the SP./PN
