We help to provide water and wastewater services to the 5.1 million inhabitants of Eastern Manila, in partnership with local company Manila Water. The number of people who have access to water 24 hours a day quadrupled in the first three years of the contract alone and service standards have risen significantly. The percentage of people in Manila who are now receiving clean drinking water has risen from 26 to 92 per cent.
In 1997, the Philippines Government privatised the capital's Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS), granting two 25-year concession contracts.
The concession for the East Zone of Metro Manila was awarded to Manila Water Company (MWC), a joint venture between Ayala Corporation, the largest conglomerate in the Philippines, and United Utilities. The MWSS concession for the West Zone was awarded to another company. Taken together, both zones comprise the world's largest water privatisation. With an estimated population of just over five million residents, the East Zone accounts for approximately 40% of the total population in the Metro Manila area. During 2009/10, United Utilities sold its economic interest in MWC for approximately £46 million.
Manila Water is responsible for operating, maintaining, upgrading and extending water and wastewater systems in the area. The company manages over 2,000 km of water network and a 194 km sewer network. The water treatment plant at Balara has a production capacity of 1,500 megalitres/day (ml/d) and is supported by a network of groundwater sources producing around 40 ml/d.