MWSS, NIA join forces in search for vital water sources for Mega Manila

The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) has partnered with the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) for possible joint projects, including those aimed at flood mitigation and development of new water sources for Metro Manila and adjacent provinces.

MWSS administrator Reynaldo V. Velasco said in a statement the two agencies were pooling their resources in support of the government’s massive infrastructure program aimed at spurring economic development.

“(W)hile there is adequate water supply in Metro Manila and the nearby provinces covered by MWSS, additional water sources need to be developed to ensure water security,” Velasco said.

Velasco said 96 percent of water supplied to MWSS service areas is sourced from the Angat-Umiray Water system, but that the agency has not developed new water sources for the past few decades.

“At present, MWSS is implementing several water infrastructure projects that include the Bulacan Bulk Water Supply Project and other projects collectively called the Angat Water Security Projects,” he said.

In September, Velasco said MWSS was working on its so-called “ABC projects,” which involved tapping water wastage in Angat Dam, reviving the Bayabas Dam project—also in Bulacan—and pushing for the Candaba multipurpose impounding dam project in Pampanga.

Also, MWSS has received an unsolicited proposal from a group called ITP-JV Co. for the extraction of an average of 800 million liters per day. This will be the first of the ABC Projects, and will form part of the Angat-Ipo-Norzagaray Water Optimization Plan.

“The completion of these projects will provide the desired water security level for mega Manila at least over the next five to 10 years,” Velasco said. “For NIA, it will also mean sufficient water supply for irrigation as it fulfills its objective of propelling agricultural productivity, economic growth and food sufficiency.”