WATER solutions provider Mactan Rock Industries Inc. (MRII) has logged a healthy revenue in 2019 on the back of the government’s infrastructure program.
“We have almost tripled our revenue in 2019 compared in 2018 primarily because of the Build, Build, Build,” said MRII chairman Antonio Camelo Tompar, noting that the firm closed several deals on bulk water supply and desalination with local government units (LGUs) and water districts across the country.
Two notable projects that the company closed last year were the 24,000 cubic meter a day bulk water supply in Cebu province and the 5,000 cubic meters a day of bulk water supply in Numancia, Aklan.
The company official expects water demand to go up this year as Cebu continues to host big-ticket developments in various industries.
The forecasted El Niño phenomenon will also trigger more water demand in 2020 on top of the challenges faced by water concessionaires to deliver water despite the rainy season.
“Since we have limited water resources, we should utilize more surface water, recycle more wastewater and then do desalination,” he said.
Tompar mentioned Israel’s success in waste water recycling allowing it to survive droughts and export water to adjacent nations.
He also mentioned Spain that recycles 20 percent of its wastewater, making it the second largest nation for water reuse.
“You reduce the demand for potable water by reusing, then you have cheaper water,” said Tompar, noting that private firms and LGUs in Cebu have now started to embrace this new way of water management. “But there’s more to be done,” he noted. (KOC)