• CHERYL G. CRUZ
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Jan. 19 that the Sum-Ag Water Treatment Plant (SWTP) in Murcia, Negros Occidental “strengthens Bacolod City’s long-term water security” with the P1.5 billion project able to deliver up to 75 million liters of potable water per day.
“This facility supplies treated bulk water to Bacolod, through the City Water District, to ensure a reliable water supply for the city. With the capacity to deliver up to 75 million liters of potable water per day, this project will benefit about 100,000 households, roughly half-a-million residents,” Marcos said in his speech after the inspection of the facility in Barangay Salvacion, Murcia yesterday.
The SWTP is the only fully automated surface treatment plant in the Visayas, and is phase 2 of the bulk water supply project of the Bacolod Bulk Water Inc. (BBWI), a subsidiary of Tubig Pilipinas Group.
The plant features top-shelf machinery with multiple mechanical redundancies to ensure continuous and reliable operations. It occupies a total area of 2.5 hectares and is designed to accommodate a total treatment capacity of 75 MLD (million liters per day) of water.
Marcos said the SWTP is considered as one of the largest water treatment facilities in the Negros Island Region. “It is an initiative that represents sound infrastructure planning and responsible investment in our country’s future.”
Bacolod Rep. Alfredo Benitez said the SWTP “can already supply up to half of Bacolod’s current demand – that gives us stability, resilience, and better cost management as our city continues to grow.”
He thanked BBWI and Tubig Pilipinas for their “confidence in Bacolod and their long-term commitment to public service. Water security today is no longer just about infrastructure. It is about resilience in the face of climate change, population growth, and urban expansion.” | CGC
