The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has inaugurated a sewage treatment plant in Pasay City as part of government efforts to mitigate pollution of the Manila Bay.
MMDA chairman Romando Artes said the Libertad Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) will treat wastewater from the Tripa de Gallina, which has been discharging wastewater into the Libertad Channel and draining into the Manila Bay.
Artes stressed the project was a result of the collaboration with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Philippine Reclamation Authority.
According to him, the Libertad STP can treat 10 million liters of wastewater per day and has a catchment area of 779 hectares. The treated wastewater will be used for watering plants and for the water supply of firetrucks in Pasay City.
“The MMDA will be in-charge of the maintenance and operations of the treatment plant, which is similar to the first STP located in Manila, equipped with a solar panel system to reduce maintenance and electricity costs,” Artes said.
Citing data from the DENR, Artes said there is a significant improvement in water quality, as shown by the gradual decline in fecal coliform levels following the aggressive rehabilitation works at the Manila Bay.
The establishment of STP and wastewater interceptor at Libertad Outfall is one of the projects listed in the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA ) that the DENR and MMDA entered into in March 2021 to implement the Manila Bay Rehabilitation Program, which aims to lower the level of fecal coliform at the bay.
“This will surely not be the last STP we are having as the establishment of this infrastructure in other areas covered by Manila Bay has already been put into plan this year,” the MMDA chairman said.
“We hope to develop other facilities in other regions of Manila Bay to efficiently treat wastewater and, eventually, avoid unfavorable health risks to residents and aquatic ecosystems,” he added.
