Manila Water Co. Inc. is accelerating its Batasan-Balara Flow Diversion Project in Quezon City, a wastewater infrastructure undertaking designed to extend sanitation coverage to more than 5,700 households.

Redirecting the Waste

The project channels untreated sewage from parts of Quezon City away from local creeks and rivers and into the Marikina North Sewage Treatment Plant in Marikina City for processing. The plant, which cost P2.7 billion to build, discharges treated effluent directly into the adjacent Marikina River. The facility sits on a two-hectare site elevated 26.5 meters above ground to anticipate flooding in the area.

Progress on the Ground

Force main pipelaying works stood at roughly 90 percent complete as of April 2026, according to the company. The Vista Real Creek lift station and its companion pipeline network have been operational since 2025. Once finished, the network will cross the Marikina River to deliver municipal wastewater into the treatment facility.

Behind the Push

In 2008, the Supreme Court ordered government agencies to clean up, rehabilitate, and preserve Manila Bay and restore its waters to safe levels. The diversion project sits within that mandate and aligns with the requirements of the Philippine Clean Water Act.

The Marikina North plant covers portions of Marikina City, and San Mateo in Rizal, and is rated at a processing capacity of up to 100 million liters per day. Manila Water has identified the Marikina North-Batasan diversion project as one of several key infrastructure undertakings it is accelerating across its East Zone concession area.

"These wastewater system improvements support the shared goal of rehabilitating Manila Bay, while reflecting Manila Water's responsibility to protect the environment and provide quality sanitation services to the communities we serve," said Dittie Galang, Manila Water's Corporate Communications Affairs Group Head.