Maynilad undertakes nearly ₱10 billion in La Mesa upgrades
Treatment improvements, water recovery systems and additional storage are intended to help the utility prepare for potentially drier conditions linked to El Niño.
Maynilad Water Services Inc. has undertaken projects worth nearly ₱10 billion at its La Mesa facilities to prepare for possible dry conditions linked to El Niño, which is expected to continue into the first half of 2027. Some projects are complete, while others remain under construction.
The utility said the work covers treatment improvements, recovery of water and additional storage. Its first La Mesa treatment plant can now handle peak raw-water turbidity of 2,000 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU), compared with around 300 NTU under its original design. Comparable work is continuing at Treatment Plant 2.
Three recovery and augmentation systems are designed to deliver a combined 125 million to 170 million litres daily when all are operational. Systems 1 and 3 are running. System 2 is scheduled for completion in December 2026 and is expected to contribute 50 million to 70 million litres daily.
Former sludge lagoons are also being repurposed for raw-water storage. Lagoons 3 and 4 currently hold about 133 million litres, with overall storage capacity planned to reach 200 million litres by December 2026.
Maynilad said Angat now represents 83 per cent of its total treatment capacity following the development of other sources, including treatment plants using Laguna Lake water. The company also reported cutting daily water losses by more than 150 million litres between June 2025 and June 2026.
The company said its broader supply measures give it more operational options, but cannot remove the risk posed by severe or extended shortages of raw water.
