Maynilad Water Services Inc. is installing three new units of ultrasonic algae control equipment at the intake structure of the company’s Putatan water treatment plant (PWTP) in Laguna Lake.
The company said the solar-powered algae control equipment costs around P9 million and will help monitor algal blooms and prevent algae proliferation affecting the lake’s raw water quality.
Maynilad said the equipment are designed to eliminate algae within a 500-meter radius and provide real-time data on the quality parameters of the water that could indicate growth in algae concentrations.
The equipment can also identify the types of algae present in the lake.
Maynilad also said the deployment of the equipment is among the initiatives addressing possible raw water problems that may arise due to algal blooms due to shifts in the nutrient balance resulting from chemical, industrial, agricultural wastes and leachates.
Other initiatives include the upgrade of its silt curtain that surrounds PWTP’s intake structure, and the constant replacement of the plant’s filters.
Maynilad is the largest private water concessionaire in the Philippines in terms of customer base serving the cities of Manila, Quezon City, Makati, Caloocan, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Valenzuela, Navotas and Malabon as well as the cities of Cavite, Bacoor and Imus, and the towns of Kawit, Noveleta and Rosario in Cavite Province.
