Besa, Leo B.

MAYNILAD WATER TREATMENT FACILITY

Maynilad is a private company owned by Mr. Manny Pangilinan. The company was tasked
by the government to treat the wastewater coming from households and sewages of Metro Manila.
They aim to expand their coverage to at least 80% of Metro Manila before the end of 2027.
Currently they are at 3% of their target coverage.
Septage from households are collected via septage collecting tanks. There is no separate
treatment for the wastewater coming from the sewages since it would be too costly for the company
and mixing of septage wastewater to sewage wastewater works just fine. The collected wastewater
coming from both sources are then pumped out into their treatment facility where it will first
undergo through bar screening to remove large objects. Then a machine will remove all the grits
and greases. The wastes coming from the bar screen and the grease removal machine will then be
collected by third party companies for further treatment. The water coming from the machine will
be sent to the primary clarifier for aerobic bacterial treatment. It will stay there for an hour before
it will be sent to the secondary clarifier where it will be further treated with bacteria. All the sludges
coming from both clarifiers will be sent to the sludge tank, then to the digester and will then be
dewatered. The dewatered sludges will be collected by a third-party company for further treatment
and will be used as soil compost. The water coming from the second clarifier tank will then be
disinfected and will be returned to the effluent.
The control room overviews all the processes inside the plant. Samples are collected every
2 hours to be tested inside the lab. Collected solid wastes are properly handled and disposed.
To protect their human resource, the workers in the company are required to wear personal
protective equipment especially those that are in direct contact or near the treated wastewater.
We had a warm welcome from the company. The supervisors are very much entertained to
answer our questions. Their accommodation room was so comfortable, airconditioned and sound
proof. The tour was very organized, every step of the process was well explained until the end of
the tour.
Engineers in the company are all males. This maybe because it’s not a woman’s thing to
work in dirt and shit and or the company requires strong males to handle the dirty job inside the
treatment facility. Laboratory personnel on the other hand were all females. The company is
constantly expanding; thus, it is in constant need of new engineers who can handle the dirty job to
make the environment clean and a better place to live in.

My tendency of working at Maynilad Water Services: 4/10

I’m not totally inclined and interested in the work of a chemical engineer there. Though it
is a good cause in helping the environment, I know there are much better choices for me to choose
from where I will be happier to my job that I don’t need to work.