As part of its 140th celebration this year, the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System has unwrapped its 10-year development plan to address key issues on water infrastructure development, resource management protection, sewerage and sanitation, water distribution efficiency attuned to President Rodrigo Duterte’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ development policy.
“We shall pursue major flagship projects, like the Laiban, Kaliwa at Kanan Dam projects, that will ensure adequate, steady and sustainable water supply for our consumers in Metro Manila and adjoining provinces in the next 25 to 50 years,” says MWSS Administrator Reynaldo V. Velasco.
Angat Dam and Dyke Strengthening Project
The MWSS chief said the Angat Dam, which is the major source of water for Metro Manila and its environs accounting for 95.6 percent supply, is being secured under the Angat Dam and Dyke Strengthening Project (ADDSP).
“To ensure its stability and safety to withstand the potential risk posed by possible seismic activity associated with the West Valley Fault, the structural roadmap for securing and optimizing the Angat Dam has been defined and it is projected for completion in the next two years,” Velasco said.
Kaliwa Dam Project
Among the major water projects now being pursued by MWSS whose main component is the construction of the Kaliwa Dam in Brgy. Pagsangahan, General Nakar, Quezon and Brgy. Magsaysay, Infanta, Quezon, the Kaliwa Dam Project which has a 600 million-liters-a-day (MLD) capacity, and the water supply tunnel has a 2,400-MLD capacity.
“The proposed New Centennial Water Source Project (NCWSP) is set to provide water security, reliability and additional supply for Metro Manila, planned to be site specific, zeroing in on the Kaliwa-Kanan-Agos River Basin as an alternative water source,” Velasco said.
The NCWSP also involves the construction of a dam at the Kaliwa River (Laiban Dam), and a smaller dam (Kaliwa Dam) downstream to maximize the water supply, and to ensure short and long-term supply for Metro Manila and its adjoining areas.
“Because of population growth, if we project demand versus the supply that is available from Angat, even with the additional supply you build in Putatan plus the projected reduction in non-revenue water, the water that will be available is still insufficient for us in Maynilad to meet the growing demand in the South,” says Maynilad President and CEO Ramoncito S. Fernandez. “That is why the Kaliwa Dam is important and they are now reviewing that to ensure that there won’t be a failed bid.”
Manila Water President Ferdinand M. De la Cruz also expressed full support for the Kaliwa Dam project citing the need to insure water security on account of the over dependence of Metro Manila’s water supply on Angat Dam and the ever-increasing population in the metropolis and other serviced areas by MWSS.
Sumag Diversion
Another project being implemented and funded by the Common Purpose Facility (CPF) Office of the two Concessionaires (Manila Water and Maynilad Water) and located in Umiray, General Nakar, Quezon, is the Sumag Diversion and Relocation Project which is a diversion tunnel that supplements the water coming from Umiray River going to the Angat Reservoir.
Initially part of the Umiray-Angat Transbasin Project but was temporarily deferred during the construction of the transbasin tunnel, the Sumag River Diversion Works will divert raw water from the Sumag River through the existing transbasin tunnel with an estimated volume of 188 million liters per day (188mld).
“Our primordial goal is to make General Nakar Relocation as a Model Resettlement Area that will ensure adequate housing, land area to enable them to plant fruit bearing trees on top of a sustainable livelihood project to sustain them and make them economically dependent for 10 years and beyond,” says Velasco. “This undertaking is actually in preparation for the future resettlement of families to be affected in the planned Laiban Dam project.”
The Sumag River Diversion Project is expected to generate an additional 2 cms inflow to Angat Reservoir, as approved in NWRB and funded by the two concessionaires, enough to cushion the possible effect of El Nino or dry spell.
Angat Water tunnel
Velasco also cited the ongoing Angat Water Transmission Improvement Project (AWTIP) that seeks to improve the reliability and security of the raw water through partial rehabilitation of the transmission system from Ipo to La Mesa and the introduction of water safety, risk and asset management plans.
The project involves the construction of a new Tunnel No. 4 which is 4.00 meters in diameter by 6.4 kilometers in length from Ipo to Bigte in Norzagaray, Bulacan with a design capacity of 19 cubic meters per second.
The new tunnel seeks to augment the present three tunnels connecting the Ipo to Bigte transmission route.
Total cost of the project is US$133.98 million broken down into US$123.64 million to be financed by loan and US$10.34 million to be financed by the Philippine Government. Contract amount with CMC Ravena is Php3.29 billion. The Asian Development Bank is the source of fund for the design and built contract.