CEBU, Philippines – Bulk water provider Mactan Rock Industries Inc., (MRII) sees more demand for desalinated water supply by next year, considering that market demand has doubled this year.
In a press conference yesterday MRII chairman Antonio Tompar said companies and industries have learned from their experience during the El Niño season, when water scarcity caused them millions of pesos.
“This time, commercial establishments, industries have realized that they have to install secondary water supply source, and desalination is taking an important role in this need,” said Tompar.
Desalination is the process of removing salinity (dissolved salts), from a salt water source, or brackish water.
MRII, which is one of the leading desalinated water providers in the Philippines, reported at least 30 percent increase of desalinated water supply demand for 2016.
In Cebu, Tompar said economic zones like the Mactan Economic Zone (MEZ-1) and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport have added its cubic meter requirement per month, due to unstable water supply from water district and other water suppliers.
Aside from manufacturing companies, resorts, hotels, and manufacturing plants in Mactan, are among the largest consumers of desalinated water.
Likewise, hotels, shopping malls, and large manufacturing plants in Mandaue and Cebu cities also the using desalinated water as their back-up supply, he added.
Besides, the cost of desalinated water today is already competitive with the traditional sources, because technology innovation.
Tompar sees that the demand for desalinated water around the country will double, if triple in demand as more economic zones will be built, and more islands will be developed for tourism.
“Desalination is the future of water supply around the world and we are already at par at this onset,” he added. (FREEMAN)
Read more: http://www.philstar.com:8080/cebu-business/2016/12/16/1654054/demand-desalinated-water-go-next-year