Manila Water starts constructing P1.4-B Taguig reservoir
Utility firm Manila Water Co. Inc. has started the construction of a P1.4-billion pumping station and reservoir in Taguig City in a bid to boost water availability within its concession area.
Manila Water said on Friday the Cayetano Pumping Station and Reservoir would help ensure “uninterrupted water supply” for over 1.6 million customers in Pasig, Pateros and Taguig.
The project is envisioned to have a capacity of 20 million liters. It is set to be completed by September 2025 and will draw water from the concessionaire’s newer water sources, including the Wawa-Calawis water supply system in Rizal province.
It is part of the Razon-led concessionaire’s East 3 distribution network system, which includes the 3.7-kilometer C-6 line and the 3-km Cayetano Avenue line.
“These facilities, once completed, will lessen the company’s dependence on Angat as the major water source for Metro Manila and will address the need for greater water [supply] in Taguig and adjacent areas amid the challenges brought about by cyclical El Niño patterns due to the impact of climate change on water supply,” said Jeric Sevilla, Manila Water corporate communication affairs group director.
Manila Water gets 1,600 million liters per day (MLD) of supply from Angat Dam. Its west zone counterpart Maynilad Water Services Inc. also sources from Angat at 2,400 MLD.
Joint venture
WawaJCo Inc., a joint venture between port tycoon Enrique Razon Jr.’s Prime Infrastructure Capital Inc. and the Violago family’s San Lorenzo Ruiz Builders and Developers Group Inc., recently announced the Wawa bulk water supply project was 70 percent complete and “on track” for full operations by 2025.
The P26-billion project in Rizal is expected to add 700 MLD of supply for around 500,000 households in the Manila Water concession area.
The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System pitched the project to former President Rodrigo Duterte in 2019 at the height of the water crisis as an alternative source of supply.
Manila Water in 2022 earmarked P181 billion for a five-year service improvement plan to ensure service continuity, accessibility and environmental sustainability through various projects.—Meg J. Adonis INQ
