| CONSISTENT water supply will now be available to over 40,000 households with the continuous infrastructure development jointly undertaken by PrimeWater Malolos and City of Malolos Water District (CMWD). The partnership, which began in 2018, aspires to ensure water security for the future of the city by significantly investing in reliable water source system and infrastructure to address the increasing water demand of the population. Water supply and pressure have been a great challenge in the city’s water distribution in previous years when only 4 barangays out of 65 experience 24-hour water supply prior to the partnership. Currently, more than half or 44 barangays now enjoy the fully maximized water supply in the city. “We are on-track in fulfilling our commitment of ensuring supply of clean potable water to the residents of Malolos and Paombong; we aim to be able to make water available to as many communities as much as possible,” emphasizes Atty. Cezar Ong, Operations Head of North Luzon. CMWD and PrimeWater Malolos have jointly undertaken expansion projects to support the economic demand in the City of Malolos and Municipality of Paombong. Among the major developments that led to the improvement of water supply is the completion of several pipelaying programs including the interconnection to Bulacan Bulk Water Infrastructure, marking an increased availability of water supply to the residents in the area. It was learned that previously, 100 percent of the water supply in Malolos comes from ground water source with heavy dependence on deep well systems. The connection to Bulacan Bulk has enabled more water supply with surface water coming in from these connections with treated surface water usage going up continuously with 35 percent in 2019 to 71 percent as of March 2021, also decreasing dependence on groundwater sourcing. A total of 18,870 linear meters of pipelines have also been installed to support the Bulacan Bulk Infrastructure. From an initial one-year timeline, the 5-kilometer main transmission line project in Barangay Tikay to Brgy Guinhawa along the very busy road of MacArthur Highway was completed within 6 months through utilization of alternative and efficient technology. Engineer Ong added that instead of the conventional open trench pipelaying, PrimeWater applied the Horizontal Directional Drilling method which enabled the completion of the Bulacan Bulk Water connection ahead of its target. Service improvement efforts through network analysis and optimization, profiling of pressure, installation and improvement of network initiative has led to the achievement of average water pressure of 7 PPSI (pounds per square inch), which is also now enjoyed by almost 33 barangays, an improvement from the previous 3 barangays experiencing such before the joint venture. Recovery of water supply losses in the distribution caused mainly by leaks or non-revenue water (NRW) has also significantly improved within three years, with a decline from 40 percent in 2018, down to 29 percent as of June 2021. It is the result of the continuing effort to repair and monitor leaks, replace meters, and regulate water pressure to make the supply equitable and accessible to all customers. Currently, CMWD and Primewater Malolos have more than 53,000 active service connections with a service coverage of 61 out of the city’s 65 total barangays. Ongoing development programs and engineering innovations are in the pipeline to address the demands of the existing and potential customers in their served areas. “The partnership ensures provision of safe, sustainable water supply and reliable sanitation today and for the future of Malolos and Paombong,” Aeschyclus Aldana, Branch Manager, adds. |
2021-08-29