It’s all systems go for Kaliwa Dam project

It’s all systems go for the controversial Kaliwa Dam project, which is being pushed to bolster water supply in Metro Manila.

Leonor Cleofas, administrator of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS), said they had secured all the necessary permits to undertake the P12.2-billion New Centennial Water Source-Kaliwa Dam Project in the Sierra Madre.

These include the certificate of precondition from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), which means that MWSS had secured the free, prior and informed consent of concerned indigenous peoples.

“In fact, we have signed a memorandum of agreement with the IPs of Rizal and Quezon. These are separate because they are separate ancestral domains,” Cleofas told reporters.

Barring any delays, MWSS chair Elpidio Vegas said tunnel boring would start as early as next week as the equipment is already in place. INQ