Sanitasyon Para Sa Barangay: Manila Waters Experience in Septage Management

R. Baffrey*, M. Adriano**

*Wastewater Operations Department, Manila Water Company, Inc., MWSS-Admin Bldg., Katipunan Road, 1105 Balara, Quezon City, Philippines

(E-mail: robert.baffrey@manilawater.com)
**South Septage Treatment Plant. Manila Water Company, Inc., Rambutan cor Langka Rd., FTI Complex, Taguig City, Philippines

(E-mail: mel.adriano@manilawater.com)

Abstract Aside from providing clean and potable water to more than six million customers in the Metro Manila East Concession, the Manila Water Company also endeavors to protect human health and the environment through the effective implementation of sewerage and sanitation services. The provision of effective sanitation services is a key developmental challenge in the Philippines especially in light of the countrys rapid urbanization and population growth. In 2004, the Philippine Government enacted Republic Act (RA) No. 9275, otherwise known as Philippine Clean Water Act. Under the Act, water utilities in highly urbanized areas, in coordination with local government units (LGUs), are required to connect customers to existing sewer lines, subject to the payment of sewerage fees. In areas where there are no sewer lines, water utilities may adopt a sanitation improvement program that will regularly remove septage (the combination of sewage, scum and sludge) that accumulates in septic tanks to maintain treatment efficiency. Manila Water Company, as part of its concession agreement with the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS), has been very aggressive in meeting its sewerage and sanitation service targets. Currently, Manila Water employs a fleet of 78 vacuum tankers to meet the demand for desludging services. In addition to this, Manila Water constructed two septage treatment plants with a combined capacity of approximately 1,400 m3/day. To date, a total of 850,000 households have already benefited from this sanitation service. Apart from improvements in sanitation, Manila Water also increased sewage treatment capacity by converting communal septic tanks to package treatment plants, constructing combined sewer-drainage systems and expanding sewer network coverage by 20%. Experience reveals that provision of sanitation services is a cost effective solution to pollution abatement when integrated with innovative approaches and an enabling regulatory environment. Keywords Septage, sanitation, sludge, biosolids, Manila Water Company

INTRODUCTION Background Domestic wastewater or sewage comes from the sinks and toilets of homes, and contains dissolved and solid material composed of organic matter, oils, grease, surfactants, and garbage. In Metro Manila, the most common household-level intervention utilized for addressing this waste is the construction of individual septic tanks (ISTs). Considered to perform primary treatment, septic tanks treat waste via the retention of wastewater for a sufficient period of time to allow for most of the polluted components to settle. The treated wastewater from the surface of the ISTs, which still contains trace contaminants, is then allowed to overflow or discharge to either communal drainage systems or directly to surface water bodies. The material that settles at the bottom of the tanks is defined as septage and materials like silt, grit, plastic, rags, scum and organic matter are defined as sludge. Over time, a sufficient amount

of sludge accumulates and needs to be removed or desludged so as to maintain the treatment efficiency of the IST. This material is more concentrated than domestic wastewater and is highly malodorous due to the presence of hydrogen sulphide and volatile fatty acids produced by the degradation of the septage in the septic tank. If not removed at appropriate intervals, the material does not only cause nuisance issues for the household, but also becomes a threat to human health due to potential exposure to pathogens. At the onset of the concession between the Metroplitan Waterworks and Sewarage System (MWSS) and Manila Water in 1997, it was estimated that 85% of the population were utilizing septic tanks (Manila Third Sewerage Project, 2004). Owing to the fact that a large percentage of these were improperly designed, constructed, and maintained, it was estimated that up to 58% of the organic load to Metro Manilas receiving bodies of water were from these household sources (Manila Third Sewerage Project, 2004). Organic load is typically quantified by Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), which is an indirect measure of the amount of oxygen consumed by pollutants that in turn effectively reduce the available oxygen required to sustain aquatic life. In 2006, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) estimated that the service industry and household sectors were the major contributors of BOD to the regions surface water. (Regional Environmental Assessment for Manila Third Sewerage Project, REA, 2006). Due to the organic load received from these sources, Metro Manilas three main water bodies, the Pasig, San Juan, and Marikina Rivers, are all in various states of biological degradation, ultimately contributing to poor water quality in Laguna Lake and Manila Bay. Although an ulitmate plan for sewerage management is aggressively being pursued by Manila Water, it is clear that septage management is, and will continue to be, an essential component in addressing pollution from domestic sources.

Figure 1. Biologically dead waterway Rationale Before the privatization of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) in 1997, sewerage facilities were confined only to isolated areas in the city of Manila and parts of Makati City, accounting for only 3% coverage. These sewerage facilities were comprised of minimal piped networks used to collect and transport sewarage from homes to treatment facilties before discharge to receiving water bodies. The apparent lack of prioritization for sewerage and sanitation was due to huge financial requirements and the urgency of expanding and increasing reliability of the water distribution system (Inocencio, 2001). As discussed previously, the major reason for providing adequate treatment and disposal systems for septage is to protect public health and the environment, as septage may harbor disease-causing viruses, bacteria, and parasites (EPA, 1994). Poor maintenance of septic tanks may cause overflows which may spread water-borne diseases through infiltration into water pipes in instances of negative

pressure, subsequently increasing the probability of human contact. Aside from the health impacts, the discharge of untreated domestic waste from septic tanks to receiving water bodies also has a social and economic impact, as previous use of these water bodies for tourism, livelihood, and recreation becomes severely hampered. The need for septage management is reflected in various national laws including Philippine Republic Act 9275 or the Clean Water Act. Under the Act, water utilities in highly urbanized areas, in coordination with local government units (LGUs), are required to connect customers to existing sewer lines subject to the payment of sewerage fees. In areas where there are no sewer lines, water utilities may adopt a sanitation improvement program that will regularly remove septage (the combination of sewage, scum and sludge) that accumulates in septic tanks to maintain treatment efficiency. In line with national laws and to address this deficit in sewerage and sanitation, Manila Water aggressively pursued sewerage projects through the Manila Second Sewerage Project (MSSP) and Manila Third Sewerage Project (MTSP), resulting in an increase of sewerage coverage (piped systems) from 3 to 23 percent.

Figure 2. Sewerage Expansion Plan for the East Zone Treatment facilities were also expanded in the East Zone from two treatment plants in 1997, to 38 treatment plans in 2011. Currently, Manila Water has a treatment capacity of 135 million liters of wastewater per day and a corresponding sewer network of over 300 kilometers. To address those areas not currently connected to piped sewer networks, Manila Water employs a comprehensive septage management plan to arrest pollution from household sources. The MTSP, which is composed of institutional strengthening, sewage management, and the septage management, has allowed for numerous improvements of the provision of service to customers of the East Zone. Under the septage management component, a fleet of desludging tankers were purchased and two major septage treatment plants were constructed to completely address the need for septage services for the duration of the concession. Both facilities are currently operational and have served a combined total of 850,000 households in the East Zone. Objectives This paper will discuss Manila Waters experience in the effective implementation of septage management in the East Zone of Metro Manila, focusing on key elements of success as well as operational challenges.

SERVICE AREA AND OBLIGATIONS Service Area Manila Water services the Eastern portion of Metro Manila and the province of Rizal, spanning a total area of 1,400 square kilometers and covering 23 cities and municipalities. Manila Water currently provides water and wastewater services to more than 6 million people in the East Concession area, 1.6 million of which belong to low-income communities. To provide comprehensive service, Manila Water adopted a decentralized structure that subdivided the East Zone into eight business areas comprised of Balara, Cubao, Pasig, Mandaluyong, Makati, Taguig, Marikina, and Rizal/Antipolo. This structure enables the company to have increased accountability and contact with customers, allowing greater opportunity to identify and immediately respond to customer needs and concerns.

Marikina
Balara Balara

Antipolo

Cubao Cubao

Mandaluyong

San Juan/ Mandaluyong

The Eight Business Areas

Makati Makati

Pasig
/ Taguig

Figure 3. Location of the Eight Business Areas of Manila Water

8.8 % 0.4 %

Domestic Customers (including low-income communities) Semi-business and Commercial Accounts

90.8 %

Industrial Customers

Figure 4. Allocation of Service Connection in terms of Rate Codes This structure also allows for better on the ground coordination with customers and local government units, resulting in shared ownership of water and wastewater service provision. This has been a key strategy in the successful implementation of non-revenue water (NRW) reduction as well as septage management. This has been particularly beneficial for septage management, where limited awareness and acceptance of this service has been prohibitive in past implementation. Drilling down operations to the smallest unit, Manila Water employs innovative methods to have

frequent and direct contact with customers. These initiatives ultimately become the most effective means of educating customers on the value and need for the septage services provided, and also allow for operational efficiencies that result in more rapid delivery of service and prudent resource management. Accomplishments to Date To address septage service obligations in an already massive yet continually growing concession, Manila Water financed the design and construction of the North and South Septage Treatment Plants (SpTPs). The North SpTP has a capacity of 586 m3/day and is located in Barangay Gitnang Bayan II San Mateo Rizal, servicing the areas of San Mateo, Quezon City, Marikina, and San Juan. The South SpTP has a capacity of 814 m3/day and is located in the Industrial Area of the Food Terminal Inc. in Taguig, servicing the areas of Mandaluyong, Pasig, Makati and Taguig. These two plants have a combined treatment capacity of 1,400 m3/day and employ state of the art process and equipment capable of treating a wide range of septage characterstics to consistenly meet the Class C standards specified by DENR. For the collection and transport component, the company invested in the procurement of a fleet of vacuum trucks and accessories that allow for desludging operations in confined, over-populated areas. Among the substantial environmental and health benefits estimated from these sanitation services are the following: 1. Reduction in the frequency of overflowing septic tanks; 2. Reduction of the health risk from contact with septage in drainage systems; and 3. Elimination of the indiscriminate dumping of raw septage by private contractors.

SEPTAGE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM Septage management services are comprised of the following: 1. Desludging or the collection of septage from individual septic tanks, 2. Hauling or transport of the collected septage to treatment plants, and 3. Treatment of the septage to appropriate discharge standards. Details, operational challenges, and innovations for the above are discussed in the following sections. Collection and Transport Desluding services are performed periodically per household every five to seven years depending on the volume of the individual septic tank. The service is provided free of charge for the first desludging activity, and may be availed of again by the customer within the next 5-7 years at a minimal cost. Sanitasyon Para Sa Barangay (Sanitation for the Community). To aid in this effort, Manila Water implements a scheduled desludging program known as Sanitasyon Para Sa Barangay. This is a vital counterpart of the companys Tubig Para Sa Barangay (Water for the Community) program that corresponds to water service delivery targeted at low-income areas of the East Zone. The per barangay innovation is key to the programs success since it provides a more targeted and personal provision of service, allowing for the enhanced participation of local government units as well as a venue to increase awareness on the value of wastewater treatment in protecting health and the environment. By an integrated effort through the local government unit, households become aware of the service and oftentimes prepare in advance for service delivery.

Figure 5. Desludging Service to a Manila Water Customer Issues such as customer unwillingness to avail of the service as well as logistical considerations, which includes limited access to septic tanks, are typically mitigated via the Sanitasyon Para Sa Barangay approach. Without proper understanding and valuation of this service, certain customers have the tendency to be uncooperative when offered the desludging service. Apart from the obvious impact this has on the health and environment, this also reduces the efficiency of collection since the number of households served during transport of a single vacuum truck needs to be spread over a greater area of customers. In addition to this, the time spent in attempting to convince residents on the spot, contrasted against advanced notification, also reduces operational efficiency. Notification and promotion through the local government addresses this concern by highlighting its communitywide impact and packaging the service as something that is essential and that shouldnt be missed out on. Local and national level policy formulation and enforcement is also vital to this effort. It is pertinent that residents be aware that wastewater treatment is not an option but a requirement for the continued protection of the environment. Manila Water continues to collaborate with local governments on the evaluation of potential sanitation ordinances aimed at the protection of resident health and local water bodies. A primary consideration in the delivery of this service is the minimization of inconvenience and cost-impact to residents. Operational Considerations. Manila Water utilizes 78 vacuum tankers to deliver septage services. These trucks have various capacities to allow for more optimization of collection operations, quantities and sizes are as follows: 51 units of 10m3, 19 units of 5m3 and 8 units of 1.5m3. Typically, larger capacity trucks are utilized for areas with wide roads and ease of access to septic tanks, while smaller capacity vehicles cater to those areas with difficult or narrow access. Manila Water continually provides services in the most efficient and effective manner so as to reduce impact to its customers. As such, in septage collection and transport it is vital that the optimum allocation of resources be planned and allotted effectively. Since a massive septage management program of this nature is the first in the Philippines, it was essential that all lessons learned and information acquired be collected, organized, recorded, and evaluated in a manner to assist in the optimization of operations moving forward. A robust database has been assembled that allows for detailed information on per household level to be extracted prior to the scheduled desludging service. The size and number of trucks, collection routes, time of collection and customer coordination are all considered in detail so as to maximize the benefit of the desludging program. This planning, combined with the appropriate community coordination, allows for the correct type

of truck and mapping of routes, as well as advanced preparation against operational issues such as space constraints. Ideally, the desludging customer can make adequate preparations such as providing adequate access to septic tanks prior to the activity. Continuous technical improvement and innovation is also provided to further augment operational efficiency. Due to the extensive areas to be served by septage management, a significant workforce is required to deliver this service. As such, Manila Water employs an integrated approach to talent management that maximizes internal and external manpower to deliver on service obligations. While technical expertise and management continues to be developed and housed internally, the labor-intensive portion of collection and treatment operations may be outsourced to provide opportunities for employment in the East Zone. Equipment innovations are also being pursued in order to increase the flexibility of the current fleet of vacuum tankers. Collection mechanisms that allow more targeted collection of only the most polluted portion of septic tanks is a key initiative that can greatly increase the effectiveness and efficiency of collection. In addition to this, optimum collection routes and integrated facility utilization are also being evaluated to improved service delivery. Manila Water employs a targeted research and development program that aims to drive down operational costs via efficient technology to lower fuel and power consumption. These technical and community-based innovations have allowed Manila Water to exceed desludging targets in its concession area. As of February 2011, 217,765 septic tanks were desludged, benefiting 850,000 households in the East Zone of Metro Manila.

300,000 250,000 200,000 150,000 100,000 50,000 0 2007 2008 2009 2010
Year

No. of Septic Tanks Emptied No. of Households Served

Figure 6. Graph of Summary of Number of Desludging Service Other local water districts are planning to employ similar initiatives to comply with the provisions of the Clean Water Act of 2004. These local water districts are benchmarking Manila Waters desludging program. Manila Water continues to be a resource for these communities and oftentimes provides working sessions to enhance education and awareness of septage management programs. Treatment and Disposal Septage collected from septic tanks is transported to one of the two Septage Treatment Plants. These world class plants have a combined capacity that is the largest in the world, employing semiautomated treatment which involves minimal physical intervention from operators. The process is conventional yet due to the varying content of septage collected from septic tanks across an extensive service area, operational expertise is the key to guaranteeing compliance and maintaining efficiency.

Figure 7. Septage Treatment Process Flow Treatment Process. The first component of the process, known as primary treatment, involves the removal of inert solids using septage acceptance units (screening and grit removal). At this stage, the major problem encountered is the collection and disposal of large quantities of solid waste that oftentimes contain items that can damage acceptance units. Apart from this, significant quantities of oil, grease and industrial wastewater are sometimes encountered with concentrations above the influent design capacity of the plant. In order to control these issues and protect plant operations, plant personnel strictly monitor all tankers to perform the remedial measures and adjustments required to mitigate damage to the plants. Secondary treatment is applied through a conventional activated sludge process that cultivates a culture of microorganisms in aeration tanks to address the organic contaminants of septage. Considered the heart of the treatment process, these aeration tanks require meticulous process control and operational expertise to guarantee that optimum conditions are provided to treat contaminants. Microorganisms eventually settle to the bottom of the tanks as sludge while the clear water above overflows for final disinfection prior to discharge.

Figure 8. Aeration Tank at South Septage Treatment Plant Sludge is further dewatered via addition of polymers and mechanical compaction for stabilization and subsequent reduction of volume. The dewatered solids or biosolids are then transported to Lahar (volcanic ash) areas in the north for the primary purpose of soil conditioning. In 2009,

Manila Water generated 29,635 cubic meters of biosolids to assist in the rehabilitation of farmlands in Central Luzon which were affected by the eruption of Mount Pinatubo. Through this approach, Manila Water not only provided an economical and environmentally-sustainable method of biosolids disposal, but ultimately delivered employment and agricultural benefits to a severely disaster-stricken area. Manila Water is also currently developing an enhanced management strategy for this material, researching on viable technologies and operational schemes that can maximize the value of this resource.

Figure 9. Biosolids from SpTPs are transported to Lahar Area Operational Expertise. Operations and maintenance for these plants are performed according to world-class standards, with one of the plants being certified under International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 2010 and the other currently undergoing similar certification. Through operation of these facilities, Manila Water has developed a unique operational expertise that applies both technical and non-technical solutions to address a variety of wastewater in an efficient and cost-effective manner. In line with this, one of the most significant accomplishments with regard to septage management is the development of Manila Waters workforce into technically proficient personnel capable of operating wastewater facilities with minimal supervision. Each plant manager and operator is trained to be completely accountable for the area to which they are assigned, ultimately developing a true owners mentality in plant operations. This integrated operational approach maximizes the skill and geographic locations of personnel. While operators and plant managers are accountable for centralized treatment facilities, desludging managers located strategically throughout the eight business areas are responsible for the decentralized collection of septage from individual households. Key management expertise combined with appropriate allotment of manpower for labor-intensive activities, provide Manila Water with a flexible structure that allows for the targeted implementation of septage services. Monitoring and Evaluation To assess the performance in implemeting it septage management programs, the company put in place a performance measurement system that is anchored on quantifiable, measurable, specific and realistic performance metrics. These are drilled down to the lowest operating unit. This system provides a structure of accountability but also allows for a heightened analysis of operational targets and efficiencies. Some of these common metrics are listed as follows: Service Levels: Coverage Area, Population Served, Households Desludged Operational Efficiency: Unit Costs for Desludging, Hauling, and Treatment Customer Service: Response Time

Ultimately, the MWSS Regulatory Office, DENR, and Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) provide and enforce wastewater standards for treatment operations and facilities. Since

commissioning, Manila Waters septage treatment plants have been compliant with these standards. Manila Water also endeavors to work closely with these agencies towards the ultimate goal of rehabilitating Metro Manilas water bodies: Marikina, Pasig, San Juan Rivers, Laguna Lake, and Manila Bay. Cooperative Policy Formulation and Insitutional Awareness Campaigns In the Philippines, the solution to wastewater management is shared across various stakeholders. While it is the concessionaires obligation to provide sewerage and sanitation services, these can only be provided effectively within an enabling and supportive regulatory framework. Such a framework needs to be strong, with clear accountabilities from the national to local government levels. The need for these services needs to be clearly comunicated to residents of Metro Manila and tied to the ultimate benefit to health and the economy. Education and awareness are key to wastewater management, only with comprehension and interventions on the household level can the true value of these services be realized. Recognizing its role in this effort, Manila Water has intensified educational campaigns through the Lakbayan or Water Trails, program which now serves as the primary tool for educating more stakeholders on the benefits and challenges of water and wastewater service provision. Apart from this, the Manila Third Sewerage Project also has an institutional awareness component which targets communities where implementation of wastewater facilities is imminent. These education and awareness activities, combined with a collective effort to develop and enforce institutional policy, can greatly assist in the rapid implementation of effective wastewater management for Metro Manila.

CONCLUSION Manila Water has demonstrated that a septage management program is a viable method of addressing pollution when applied with decentralized customer management, close coordination with local government units, and effective and efficient technical operations. The success of septage management in this, and other similar regions, depends largely on a fully integrated wastewater management plan targeted at providing comprehensive service to customers.

REFERENCE Business Model for a Water District Septage Management Program (2010, February) Manila Water Sustainability Report 2009 Manila Water Company Inc., Manila, Philippines EIS, Environmental Impact Statement for Manila Third Sewerage Project (2006,February). Volume II: EMP Summary. Manila Water Company Inc., Manila Philippines REA, Regional Environmental Assessment for Manila Third Sewerage Project (2006, February). Manila Water Company Inc., Manila Philippines Inocencio, Arlene B., Cristina C. David (2001, August). Public-Private-Community Partnerships in Management and Delivery of Water to Urban Poor: The Case of Metro Manila. DISCUSSION PAPER SERIES NO. 2001-18, Philippine Institute for Development Studies. DAO 35, DENR Administrative Order No.35 (1990). Revised Effluent Regulations of 1990, Revising and amending the effluent regulations of 1982