Maynilad Water Services Inc. said it is managing the impact of the current algal bloom in Laguna Lake to its water production and avoid a repeat of widespread water interruption in 2019.
The lake is the primary raw water source of the company’s Putatan Water Treatment Plants (PWTP) comprised of two facilities that can produce a maximum of 300 million liters per day (MLD) of water.
Algal blooms arise from shifts in the nutrient balance of the lake water resulting from either chemical, industrial, agricultural wastes or leachates.
Among immediate solutions being implemented by Maynilad is the dosing of treatment chemicals to control algal buildup, utilization of a silt curtain to minimize algae intrusion into treatment facilities and immediate clean-up of dissolved air flotation treatment process of the PWTPs.
For medium and long-term interventions to address the raw water quality issues in Laguna Lake, Maynilad will dredge a portion of the lake and will install several units of ultrasonic algae control equipment around the PWTPs.
In June 2019, Maynilad’s water production at the PWTP was hampered by an algal bloom in Laguna Lake when the maximum algal biocount reached 13,230 counts per milliliter (mL) that affected over 140,000 accounts from 45 affected barangays.
Water interruptions lasted up to 22 hours for 15 days in the cities of Muntinlupa, Las Piñas, Parañaque, Imus, and Bacoor.
Since then, Maynilad invested in additional treatment technology to address such algae proliferation but algal biocount in June 2022 still reached an unprecedented peak of 72,722 counts per mL.
Maynilad said water production in Laguna Lake will continue to be affected unless more drastic measures are taken by the lake’s stakeholders: proper disposal of organic materials to prevent their decay in waterbodies as well as the restoration of eroded shorelines. – Jed Macapagal
