Pilipinas Water to pour P2.5B into SRP water supply project

WATER technology system provider Pilipinas Water Resources Inc. (PWRI) is earmarking P2.5 billion in investments in the next five years to ensure sustainability of the total water management project for the South Road Properties (SRP).

PWRI Director Antonio Camelo Tompar, in an interview, said the amount will cover the technical work that would produce 35,000 cubic meters (cu.m.) of water supply per day.

Tompar said the supply is expandable to 50,000 cu.m., which is more than enough what the SRP requires.

Tompar said the firm has purchased and put in place imported pipelines to ensure better service to SRP locators. A stable water supply at SRP is among the demands of conglomerates like Filinvest Land Inc. and SM Prime Holdings Inc.

From the sea

In 2010, the Cebu City Government signed a 30-year contract with PWRI for the water supply in the SRP, which City Hall reclaimed using a loan from Japan. Under the agreement, the PWRI will use the existing city-owned desalination and waste water treatment plants located in the SRP.

Better pricing and environmental sustainability are their project’s value proposition, he said.

PWRI plans to sell the water at P5 (per cu.m.) less than the current water price of Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD). They would also re-sell the treated water or recycled water at P10 (per cu.m.) less.

He said the firm will use seawater desalination, which he described as “very sustainable.” Seawater desalination is the process of converting seawater into potable water.

Tompar, who is also chairman of Mactan Rock Industries Inc., also announced the expansion of Mactan Rock to serve the water requirements of Tacloban, Iloilo and Coron in Palawan.

He said the company got a local franchise to supply water for the underserved areas of Tacloban.

The initial development will yield 20 cu.m. per day, which can be expanded to 5,000 cu.m. per day using the surface and well water treatment.

Mactan Rock will also be serving the Dumangas-Barotac Nuevo Water District with 3,000 cu.m. of water supply per day, which can be expanded to 30,000 cu.m. per day. The firm will develop and distribute some 3,000 cu.m. of water supply per day to Coron, Palawan to address the water requirement of its growing tourism sector.