MANILA, Philippines — Manila Water’s Novaliches-Balara Aqueduct 4 (NBAQ4) Project in Quezon City has recently been completed.
The new aqueduct, which will convey up to 1,000 million liters of water per day, will pave the way for the inspection, assessment, and subsequent rehabilitation of three other existing aqueducts, which have been operating since 1929, 1956, and 1968, respectively, to help ensure continuous water supply for more than 7 million customers in the East Zone.
The NBAQ4, one of Manila Water’s flagship projects, is part of the water concessionaire’s improvement and expansion initiatives in the East Zone, in coordination with the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS).
The Php 5.6B project involves the construction of a new intake facility and access bridge at the La Mesa reservoir, a 7.3-kilometer underground aqueduct with a 3.1-meter diameter passing under Commonwealth Avenue, and an outlet portal and downstream distribution works at the Balara Treatment Plant.
This project uses a tunnel-boring machine (TBM), a first in Metro Manila, which was laid underneath Commonwealth Avenue without disturbing traffic since its launch in 2020. The TBM broke through at the La Mesa Reservoir last August 2021.
On its testing stage, the new aqueduct is currently being filled to prepare for the start of its operation this August 2022.
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