MWSS projects: New water sources being eyed

The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) has unveiled plans to tap new water sources for the next 10 to 25 years.

At the recent Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) CEO Forum at the Peninsula Manila, MWSS Administrator Reynaldo Velasco presented a new set of water projects that could produce 3,000 million liters daily  in the next five years.

These included the 600 MLD Kaliwa Dam, the 500 MLD Montalban Dam and the development of 1,950 MLD “ABC” projects as alternative sources of water.

The ABC projects, Velasco said, involved tapping water wastage in Angat Dam, reviving the Bayabas Dam project and pushing for the Candaba multipurpose impounding dam project in Pampanga.

Combined, the so-called ABC projects have a potential of producing 1,950 million liters of water per day, which would complement the existing capacity of Angat Dam, the main source of water of Metro Manila.

Long-term impact

Velasco said unlike other major water projects that would take many years to complete, the ABC projects could be started and completed in three to four years, well within the term of President Duterte.

According to Velasco, Angat Dam had been rehabilitated to withstand a 7.2-magnitude earthquake.

The Bayabas Dam project in Doña Remedios Trinidad town in Bulacan province could produce 250 MLD.

Another project that must be seriously considered, he said, was the Candaba multipurpose impounding dam, which could serve as a flood control and irrigation facility and promote ecotourism.

The Candaba project can produce 500 MLD of potable water for the provinces of Pampanga, Bulacan and Tarlac.

Among the legacy water projects being pursued now by the MWSS was the Kaliwa Dam in General Nakar and Infanta towns in Quezon province.