D.M. CONSUNJI, Inc. (DMCI) has started the construction of the P10.5-billion Caloocan-Malabon-Navotas water reclamation facility project of west zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services, Inc.
In a statement on Thursday, the construction firm said the facility is capable of treating 205 million liters of wastewater daily and is projected to begin operations by the third quarter of 2024.
DMCI claims that the multi-billion-peso water reclamation facility will be the biggest in the country, adding that 1.2 million households situated in south Caloocan, Malabon, and Navotas are set to benefit from the project.
“This is an enormous undertaking because it involves expanding the capacity of a 40-year old facility by over 600%,” DMCI President and Chief Executive Officer Jorge A. Consunji was quoted as saying.
According to DMCI, the water reclamation facility is one of Maynilad’s large-scale and multi-year capital expenditure projects.
The project involves the rehabilitation and expansion of the water provider’s Dagat-Dagatan sewage treatment plant in Caloocan City. The plant was built in the 1980s and currently has a capacity of 26 million liters of wastewater daily.
DMCI expects to hire around 1,000 direct and indirect workers when the project hits its peak during the first quarter of 2023.
“This facility also represents two milestones for DMCI. Aside from being our largest wastewater project, to date, it is our first partnership with JFE Engineering Corp. of Japan,” Mr. Consunji said.
JFE Engineering is the engineering unit of JFE Holdings, which was in the Fortune Global 500 list in 2020.
Maynilad provides water to areas in the west zone of the National Capital Region such as Caloocan, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Valenzuela, Navotas, Malabon, Manila, Makati, and Quezon City, as well as parts of Cavite province including Bacoor, Imus, Kawit, Noveleta, and Rosario.
Metro Pacific Investments Corp., which has a majority stake in Maynilad, is one of three Philippine units of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being Philex Mining Corp. and PLDT, Inc.
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