STEADY SUPPLY With about 245,000 connections to serve, the P12-billion Davao City Bulk Water Supply Project has doubled the Davao City Water District’s production capacity to 630 million liters per day. —MEG J. ADONIS
More than a million residents of Davao City now have 24/7 access to potable water after the country’s largest bulk water supply project commenced full commercial operation on Wednesday.
Apo Agua Infrastructura Inc., a water business unit of Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc., inaugurated the P12-billion Davao City Bulk Water Supply Project, doubling the Davao City Water District’s (DCWD) production capacity to 630 million liters per day (MLD).
“It is not just about supplying Davao City with bulk water, it is also about ensuring that its people are provided with clean water and to improve their quality of life,” said President Marcos, who attended Wednesday’s launch.
He acknowledged the efforts of Apo Agua and Aboitiz InfraCapital as well as the role of public-private sector partnerships in ensuring water security and protecting the Panigan-Tamugan Watershed in Davao City.
Public-private partnership
“Your efforts to ensure the protection and conservation of the Panigan-Tamugan Watershed, and the management and rehabilitation of hundreds of hectares within the watershed area show that we can pursue development without compromising the environment,” Mr. Marcos said.
He added: “Thank you for showing us the deep well of potential that public-private partnerships hold, not just in securing water supply, but also in paving the way for enhanced economic growth, jobs creation, and an improved standards of living for all Filipinos.”
Aboitiz Group president and chief executive Sabin Aboitiz described the project as a “demonstration of how much can be achieved with unsolicited public-private partnerships.”
“We bring our expertise and experience in surface water projects, which we believe is key to a sustainable water future for all Filipinos,” Aboitiz said, citing plans to expand the project with the widening of DCWD’s service area.
The Apo Agua treatment plant’s 300-MLD full capacity provides 70 percent of DCWD’s supply requirements, while the rest is sourced from groundwater through production wells, according to DCWD spokesperson Jovana Cresta Duhaylungsod.
Prior to the project’s completion, she said households got 99 percent of their supply requirements from groundwater sources that were usually yellowish in color because of minerals, unlike the clearer quality of treated water.
Temporary shutdowns
Around 23 percent of customers had intermittent supply before the facility was fully operational, Duhaylungsod said.
“With the bulk water supply, production in our other wells will halt, allowing them to replenish supply. These will instead be used as contingency in cases of temporary shutdowns in the [treatment plant],” she added.
READ: Aboitiz-led Apo Agua supplies water to Davao City Water District with state-of-the-art facility
Water from the Tamugan River is treated in the facility to remove sand and other particles before being distributed to DCWD’s water supply systems in Barangays Calinan, Tugbok, Riverside, Dumoy, Cabantian and Panacan.
Water from the river is also used to generate power for the 2-megawatt hydroelectric power plant that energizes the entire Apo Agua water treatment plant.
This so-called water-energy nexus system is the first such design in Southeast Asia, according to Apo Agua.