Manila Water Company The true value of water is realized only when there is lack of it. It’s also why this is often taken for granted; water is so much a part of our everyday lives that the concept of not having it is too overwhelming.
Unfortunately, this was once a way of life those Metro Manila residents faced every day. Before 1997, the capital’s water supply and distribution was in disarray. Communal water sources were shared by hundreds of families who had to line up for hours just to get a few pails for the day’s use. Illegal connections ran rampant, draining these water sources even more. Clean and potable water was a luxury which poor families simply did not have, and that others had to acquire at a steep price. Needless to say, the morale was low among Metro Manila’s residents.
In 1995, this situation prompted the Philippine government to enact the National Water Crisis Act, which turned over the operation of water services from the government-owned Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) to the private sector. The Ayala-led Manila Water Company took over the East Zone of Metro Manila, 40% of the capital city, under a 25-year concession agreement; this granted the company exclusive rights to the use of land and facilities for the production, treatment and distribution of water, as well as the rights to operate the sewerage system.
By accepting this task, Manila Water took upon itself the responsibility of making millions of lives better.
Business Sustainability Manila Water formally took over operations for the East Zone in 1997. This is comprised of Pasig, Taguig, Makati, Mandaluyong, Cubao & Balara (Quezon City), Marikina, San Juan and Antipolo-Rizal. All of these suffered from crippling water loss problems, and resorted to buying water from sources that charged ten to twenty times more than the normal cost.
Manila Water began its rehabilitation plan by connecting these areas effectively. Water pipes were added