Saturday, March 14, 2009 [ manilatimes.net ]
By Euan Paulo C. Añonuevo, Reporter
MAYNILAD Water Services Inc. has started providing service to BF Homes-Parañaque after completing pipe-laying projects last year.
In a statement, Maynilad said it began providing potable water to more than 300 of over 10,000 households in one of Asia’s largest subdivisions.
The water utility said that BF Homes-Parañaque’s seven enclaves now receive surface water supply at an average pressure of 5 pounds per square inch (psi) during peak hours (4:00 a.m. to 12 noon) and 15 psi from 12 midnight to 4 a.m.
“Maynilad continues to lay pipes in various portions of BF Homes-Parañaque. The series of pipe laying works marks a major development in the West Zone concessionaire’s effort to provide the residents of BF Homes with safe, reliable and affordable water,” the utility said.
Maynilad used to supply water to BF Homes through the Philippine Waterworks Construction Corp. (Philwater), which operates the water system in the subdivision, but was later forced to disconnect the service due to non-payment of arrears of about P5 million.
The water utility had been negotiating for years with the subdivision’s developers who earlier refused to give Maynilad the right-of-way to connect the area to its network, preventing the water company from serving the residents.
Philwater’s failure to provide the residents with adequate water supply subsequently compelled Mayor Florencio Bernabe Jr. of Parañaque to exercise his “police powers” at the request of BF homeowners associations, allowing Maynilad to immediately construct a new water system inside the subdivision.
The water situation in BF Homes also prompted the National Water Resources Board to deny Philwater’s application to continue providing water to the subdivision.
Since January 2008, Maynilad started connecting parts of the subdivision to its pipe network as well as implemented various service improvement projects in Parañaque City.
These projects include the 1,050-millimeter line along the Coastal Road, laid an 800-millimeter mainline along Dr. A. Santos Avenue, installed a 900-millimeter mainline along SLEX West Service Road, and completed lateral pipe laying projects along President’s Avenue, Aguirre and El Grande Avenues.
For BF Homes-Parañaque alone, Maynilad invested P7.6 million to improve service in the area.
Maynilad plans to increase service connections from its current 460,000 to 513,000 by 2012.
