Yokohama Water Co., Ltd. (Naka Ward, Yokohama)
１ Business
Engineering services for the Septage Management of Metro Cebu Water District
２ Country
Republic of the Philippines (Cebu metropolitan area)
３ Contribution to SDGs
４ Project Results
While Metro Cebu is the second largest metropolitan area in the Philippines, water and sanitation conditions are seriously deteriorated due to little sewage treatment in the sewer systems. About 90% of households have sludge decomposition tanks[1]called “septic tank”, but they are not properly managed, causing environmental pollution as a result of illegal dumping into rivers. In addition, there are concerns about the further deterioration of the living environment as urbanization progress.
After the signing of an MoU on technical cooperation for sustainable urban development with the City of Cebu in March 2012, the City of Yokohama, with support from JICA, contributed to the establishment of “Mega Cebu Roadmap 2050,” which includes targets for population penetration of sewage treatment by 2030 and 2050, and promotes the development of sewage treatment systems. In 2017, JICA conducted a study as a short/mid-term solution to septic tank sludge management with the cooperation of Yokohama City. Based on this study, a grant aid agreement for the “Septage Management of Metro Cebu Water District Project” was signed between JICA and Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD) in 2023.
Yokohama Water Co., Ltd. (YWC) is an affiliated organization wholly owned by the City of Yokohama, established in 2010 to strengthen the management base of the Waterworks Bureau while contributing to domestic and overseas waterworks projects by utilizing the technology and know-how that the city has accumulated over its long history. As a city-affiliated organization, YWC promotes efforts of public interest, and as a joint-stock company, actively develops business opportunities in the fields of water supply and sewage both domestically and internationally.
In these backgrounds, YWC made an agreement for engineering services with MCWD after forming a joint venture with Yachiyo Enginereing Co., Ltd. YWC utilizes the City of Yokohama’s expertise in the operation and maintenance of sewage and sludge treatment facilities as well as the collection and management of septic tank sludge. The project covers six cities and municipalities in the Metro Cebu region, such as the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, and Talisay, and the municipalities of Compostela, Liloan, and Consolacion.
This project will improve the living conditions of many residents in the project area are by providing regular sludge removal services from each household’s septic tanks and properly disposing of the sludge.
[1] A decomposition tank is a simple domestic wastewater treatment device installed mainly in residences. In order to maintain the desired performance, the accumulated sludge must be drawn off at an appropriate frequency.