Protecting the Environment

The Ipo watershed is part of the Umiray-Angat-Ipo-La Mesa water resource system which provides raw water to Metro Manila.

Manila Water, being a water utility company, has a critical role in ensuring that the ecosystem it relies on is protected and restored. Without adequate and good quality water, the sustainability of its business is at risk, compromising its ability to provide reliable and 24/7 water supply. The Company implements environmental management across its value chain including watershed protection and rehabilitation, wastewater treatment, operational efficiency, carbon reduction and methane avoidance, and circularity.

Managing Water Resources
GRI 2018 303-1, 303-3; SASB IF-WU-440a.1, IF-WU-440a.2, IF-WU-440a.3.

Commitment:

Take a proactive role in the development, protection, rehabilitation, and enhancement of water sources including watersheds, surface, and groundwater resources

Strategies and Performance:

The Wawa-Calawis Water Treatment Plant will provide additional 80 MLD water supply for the East Zone.

Watershed Management
GRI 304-3, SASB IF-WU-440a.3

Manila Water anchors its management of key watersheds on partnerships, integrated approach, nature-based solutions, and environmental stewardship to mitigate the risks of deforestation and deterioration of raw water quality. This strategy also improves biodiversity and contributes to carbon sequestration to mitigate climate change.

Manila Water helps in the protection of 171,901 hectares in General Nakar, Ipo, La Mesa, Nabaoy, Pan-as Hayiban, Villa Maria watersheds. For its reforestation initiatives, the Company planted 62,823 native trees in 2021 reaching a total of 1,255,612 trees nurtured since 2006.

Manila Water also helped in the formulation of the Integrated Watershed Management Plan (IWMP) of General Nakar, La Mesa, and Upper Marikina watersheds. The Company will help in the development of an IWMP for Ipo to support the existing Ipo Watershed Management Framework Plan. Cebu Water in cooperation with Cebu Metropolitan Water Foundation is crafting the IWMP of Luyang Watershed.

East Zone through its implementing partners in La Mesa, Upper Marikina, and General Nakar watersheds planted 60,313 native trees in 2021. Trees planted in previous years were maintained and nurtured. The Company has been supporting the Annual Million Trees Challenge (AMTC) of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System since the start of this program in 2017. For 2021, Manila Water’s contribution to the AMTC is 40,000 trees planted in La Mesa Watershed for a total of 386,000 trees in La Mesa and Upper Marikina Watersheds since 2017.

The Company provides funds for the continuing protection of Ipo and La Mesa watersheds through the Bantay Gubat composed of Dumagats, and the ABS CBN Foundation’s Bantay Kalikasan, respectively. Manila Water also supports the General Nakar Sustainable Integrated Area Development Project in General Nakar for the protection of the entire watersheds of Kaliwan, Kanan, Umiray and 13 minor watersheds through the patrolling of Bantay Gubat.

 

Treating Wastewater Responsibly
GRI 303-2, GRI 303-4, SASB IF-WU-140b.1.

After water is used by customers, Manila Water collects and treats wastewater before discharging clean effluent back to the environment. This reduces the pollution of rivers and lakes and avoids the release of methane emissions from septic tanks and untreated wastewater.

Commitment:

• Treat wastewater in accordance with effluent standards
• Expand sewer coverage and/or desludging services in concessions with wastewater services

Strategies and Performance

Sewerage and Sanitation Expansion

Manila Water operates 70 wastewater treatment plants with a total capacity of 530,407 cubic meter (m³)/day across the Philippines. Nineteen of these facilities with a total capacity of 275,802 cubic meter (m³)/day are in medium to high flood zones (0.5 meter to more than 1.5-meter flood level) based on a 100-year flood. Wastewater treatment facilities within these zones are built or retrofitted such that operations will not be affected, or there will be minimal impact during flooding such that normal operations can resume promptly after a short downtime.

In 2021, the East Zone has expanded its sewer coverage to 33.5% equivalent to 2.3 million customers with sewerage access coming from 3% sewer coverage serving 45,000 customers at the start of the concession. The Company desludges septic tanks of unsewered areas every five years. From 2017 to 2021, an equivalent of 5.44 million population in the East Zone was provided with septic tank desludging. There is a regulator-approved wastewater master plan to expand sewer coverage to 99% in the East Zone by 2037 as a commitment to the Supreme Court Continuing Mandamus to clean up Manila Bay.

To add to the existing 41 wastewater treatment facilities in the East Zone, the Company commenced the construction of its Mandaluyong West Sewerage System Project which includes a 53 km network and the Aglipay STP with a 60 million liter per day (MLD) capacity, expandable up to 120 MLD. It will serve 2,115 hectares of catchment area spanning across Mandaluyong, San Juan and Quezon Cities equivalent to 652,000 customers. The construction of the STP is expected to be completed by 2024 and the sewer network by 2025. Other STPs in the pipeline by 2025 are the Hinulugang Taktak STP with 16 MLD capacity and Quezon City East STP with 18 MLD capacity.

 

Groundbreaking at Aglipay STP that will treat additional 60 MLD (expandable to 120 MLD) wastewater in the East Zone.

 

Boracay Water, Clark Water, Estate Water, and Laguna Water also operate their wastewater treatment facilities in their respective service coverage areas. Calbayog Water targets to construct and operate its septage treatment plant by 2025 to start desludging services in Calbayog.

Laguna Water provides desludging services in Sta. Rosa, Cabuyao, and Biñan, Laguna with an expansion in Pagsanjan in 2022. The collected septage is treated in the LTI Septage Treatment Plant. Bulacan Water started its desludging services in 2021 with a third-party service provider while Bulacan Aqua Estates and Obando are in the preparation stage which includes public consultations and refinement of LGU's ordinance on sanitation.

Biological Nutrient Removal

Manila Water complies to the DENR Revised General Effluent Standards of 2016 (DAO 2016-08), the new effluent standard, which requires the removal of nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium, and ammonia in wastewater to reduce the algal growth and further improve the quality of water bodies. The Company implemented operational adjustments and/or upgraded the facilities to meet the effluent standard. The upgrading and retrofitting of the wastewater facilities are in various stages in accordance with the DENR-approved Compliance Action Plan. The Company utilized several state-of-the-art technologies for biological nutrient removal such as Membrane Biological Reactor, Integrated Fixed Film Activated Sludge, Moving Bed Bioreactor, and Food Chain Reactor.

Manila Water continues to comply with the other parameters of the effluent standard and other regulations on wastewater. In 2021, the Company was able to achieve 100% compliance to effluent standards. The details of the effluent quality are in the Environmental Performance Index page.

100% compliance to the effluent standards.

 

Laguna Water upgraded its sewage treatment plant to remove nutrients from wastewater in compliance to the new effluent standards.

 

Wastewater Treatment

Notes:

1. BOD, or biochemical oxygen demand, is a proxy indicator of the quality (or organic content) of the waste. It pertains to the organic component removed from wastewater (in the form of sludge).
2. Computation of carbon dioxide avoided was based on the updated 2019 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories
3. Wastewater treated, BOD removed and carbon dioxide avoided decreased in 2021 due to the lockdown and closure of some commercial establishments during the pandemic.

 

Improving Operational Efficiency

Continual improvement of operational efficiency across the value chain reduces the consumption of finite resources and costs in producing and distributing water and treating wastewater. Improved efficiency also reduces the Company's carbon footprint and impact on the environment.

Commitment:

• Sustain the non-revenue water based on economic level
• Continual improvement through innovations

Manila Water continuously implements its NRW reduction program through proactive measures and state-of-the-art technologies.

 

Strategies and Performance

Non-revenue water (NRW) reduction

The NRW program is implemented across all business units to further reduce the water losses in its water distribution network. The NRW was reduced to 10.2% across the enterprise through pressure management, use of Demand Monitoring Areas (DMAs), active leak control, selective meter replacement. New business units formed Demand Monitoring Areas to easily detect leaks and manage pressures.

East Zone’s lower NRW in 2021 was due to the corporate focus and team effort in increasing leak detection and repair activities, replacing old customer meters, and balancing pressure with demand despite the lockdowns during the pandemic. To manage the risk of increasing NRW, Manila Water installed additional pressure regulating valves with an automated controller to balance the pressure with the demand, especially during off-peak hours.

The % NRW per Business Unit is in the 2021 Environmental Performance Index

 

Innovations in Operations

Efficient Use of Chemicals

Water supply’s chemical consumption depends on the quality of the raw water. In 2021, chemical intensity improved due to better raw water from the sources. On top of the improved chemical intensity, Manila Water still seeks to optimize its processes. For instance, instead of purchasing, Laguna Water produces its own sodium hypochlorite.

For medium to long-term solutions, Manila Water strengthens its watershed protection and rehabilitation to prevent soil erosion and water turbidity during heavy rainfall and strong typhoons.

Chemical Consumption, tons

 

Chemical Consumption Intensity

 

On the other hand, there’s a spike in chemical consumption in wastewater due to the new effluent standard that requires the removal of nutrients in wastewater. Additional and new chemicals were used to remove phosphorus through chemical precipitation.

Energy Efficiency
GRI 302-1, 302-3, 302-4, 305-1, 305-2, 305-3, SASB IF-WU-130a.1.

Water supply and wastewater operations are energy-intensive, making energy one of the highest operating expenses of Manila Water. The Company continuously innovates to further improve energy efficiency in its operations.

Business units undertake process improvements such as proper scheduling of operations, use of the appropriate size of pumps and blowers, adjustment of variable frequency drives to flow, refilling of tanks through gravity flow. Other innovations to improve energy efficiency are the replacement of pumps, motors, and blowers with more efficient technology, deep well rehabilitation, and the continuous NRW reduction program. This brought about savings of about 9.5 million kWh equivalent to PhP 75 million saved in 2021. The water supply energy intensity improved meanwhile the wastewater energy intensity increased due to the additional processes of nutrient removal required by the new effluent standard.

Manila Water utilizes energy efficient equipment and proactively maintains its equipment for optimum operations.

Manila Water enrolled qualified facilities to Meralco's Peak/Off-peak program, disconnected inactive facilities to Meralco, and used capacitor banks for power factor improvement resulting to cost reduction.

Energy Consumption

 

Energy Consumption, Gigajoules (GJ)

 

Energy Intensity

 

• ¹ Percent grid electricity - grid, including open access non-renewable energy
• ² Renewable energy includes on-site renewable energy generated; purchased through a renewable power purchase agreement but excludes the renewable portion of the electricity grid that is outside the influence of the company (as per SASB definition)

 

 

 

Ensuring Environmental Compliance
GRI 306-2, GRI 307-1

Manila Water takes a proactive approach in ensuring environmental compliance in every aspect of its undertaking. Manila Water had no significant environmental fines and penalties of more than PhP 50,000 nor non-monetary sanctions in 2021. The Company complies with standards and environmental requirements of regulatory bodies including the Department of Energy, Department of Health, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, National Water Regulatory Board, and Laguna Lake Development Authority.

Potential non-compliance is monitored frequently and acted upon to avoid adverse environmental impacts. Manila Water has Pollution Control Officers appointed for each facility who ensure compliance with all environmental regulatory requirements and whose performance is validated through regular internal audits. Waste minimization and pollution prevention are being implemented through operational control measures needed to address significant environmental aspects and impacts as identified in Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment, and Control (HIRAC) system.

To ensure that environmental and social impacts are addressed in a new environmentally critical project or project in an environmentally critical area, the Company performs an Environmental Impact Assessment and acquires an Environmental Compliance Certificate from DENR. The Company's environment unit and the Pollution Control Officers ensure that required permits are secured and up to date and reportorial requirements are submitted on time. To ensure compliance with all regulatory requirements of recently taken-over business units with inherent compliance matters, Manila Water made corrective measures and applied for the necessary permits.

Solid Waste Management

The largest contributor to nonhazardous solid wastes is wastewater treatment which converts organic pollution into microbial biomass in sludge, a by-product of aerobic treatment which further undergoes dewatering to yield biosolids. Biosolids from the East Zone Concession and Boracay Water facilities are hauled, composted, and used as a soil conditioner in laharaffected areas in Pampanga. Laguna Water composts biosolids within its treatment facility while Clark Water dries and stores biosolids in a drying pond in its wide expansive property. Grits and screenings from raw wastewater are properly disposed of in sanitary landfills. Other non-hazardous solid wastes generated in offices and facilities are segregated and disposed of properly. Recyclable materials are sold to junk shops while old meters are sold to recyclers.

Non-hazardous Waste Disposed, tons

 

Note: High hazardous wastes generation in 2020 due to a one-time disposal. The amount generated per type of HW is in the IR 2021 microsite's Environmental Performance Indices.

Hazardous Waste Management

Manila Water fully complies with the regulatory requirements set by DENR on hazardous waste management. The Company shifted to LED lighting, reducing the amount of busted fluorescent lamps generated yearon- year. In 2021, a total of 21.65 tons of hazardous waste were generated. Hazardous wastes are safely stored in hazardous wastes storage and properly transported, treated, and disposed of through DENR-accredited service providers.

Developing Environmental Advocates

Manila Water continuously engages its stakeholders in environmental and sustainability topics to promote environmental protection and sustainability. The Company's information, education, and communication during the pandemic shifted to digital platforms such as bulletins, social media, and online seminars.

Lakbayan Water Trail Tour, a longtime water education program and environmental advocacy of Manila Water to help raise awareness on the value of water and wise and mindful consumption of water, conducted 59 sessions with a total of 1,934 participants in 2021. Five module videos that contain learning taught during actual visits were developed for the Lakbayan online sessions.

The Toka Toka Movement is Manila Water's advocacy program that aims to inform and educate people on the need for wastewater management in communities, the value of personal commitment, and the collective impact of individual actions for the environment such as having septic tanks desludged, connecting houses to sewer lines where available, segregating solid waste and spreading the gospel of environmental sustainability among one's family and friends. In 2021, Manila Water recognized its Toka Toka partners from seven (7) National Government Agencies, five (5) private organizations, and 24 Local Government Units in its Gawad Katoka 2019, 2020 Achievers, and Toka Toka Awards 2021 for their support to the desludging initiatives of the Company.

The Lakbayan online sessions continue to educate stakeholders on environmental protection during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021, East Zone partnered with the DENR and several LGUs through a Memorandum of Agreement for the Adopt-an-Estero program to fully implement the cleanup and rehabilitation of San Juan River and its tributaries. Initiatives under the Adopt-an Estero Program include (1) monitoring of water quality of each adopted creeks, (2) a study to investigate the causes of stagnant water and technical solution and recommendation, (3) information and education campaign and river clean-up program (4) treatment of raw sewage from portable toilets and (5) desludging activities.

Community partners prepare Mabuhay balls that are infused with good microorganisms for the clean-up of the adopted creek in San Juan, Metro Manila.