MWSS to bid out P5.72B Angat rehab project

The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) is preparing to bid out the contract for the rehabilitation of Angat Dam, which supplies water to Metro Manila’s 15 million residents and irrigates 27,000 hectares of farmlands in Bulacan and Pampanga.

“Details of the planned bidding may be published next week,” MWSS chairman Ramon Alikpala told reporters.

The cost of the project, which will be done in two phases, will be funded by the government.

Alikpala said MWSS was also set to study rehabilitation options for the water transmission line between Angat and the La Mesa Reservoir, from which concessionaires Manila Water Co. Inc. and Maynilad Water Services Inc. get their respective raw water allocations.

MWSS is also seeking help from the PPP Center on which projects to package under the public-private partnership project.

Metro Manila’s water reserves (water supply available aside from the projected demand, systems losses and a 15-percent buffer) may be at risk in five years without the development of new water sources, a more efficient and well-maintained distribution network, and the rehabilitation of old facilities. Any instance of extended drought amid higher demand may threaten water reserves, sources said.

The Angat Dam rehabilitation project is among the P67 billion worth of

projects approved by the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) to boost the country’s ability to cope with destructive and sometimes deadly floods.

The 44-year-old dam provides 97 percent of the water requirements of Metro Manila and generates 246 megawatts of power.

The Neda board approved earlier this month 11 flood management projects. This comes a month after heavy rains submerged large portions of Luzon including about 80 percent of Metro Manila, killing at least 99 people and forcing about half a million people to flee their homes.

The Neda said the amount would be used to build and strengthen dikes, dredge rivers, and buy pumps to ensure a flood-free Metro Manila.

The August floods were the worst in the capital since September 2009, when extensive flooding from tropical storm “Ondoy” killed more than 400 people.

In July, Alikpala presented the Angat remediation works and other projects worth $1.5 billion at the Singapore International Water Week.

Foremost among the projects is the identification of another water source to supplement the increasing demand for the utility’s consumers.  Currently under review by the World Bank are several prospective dam sites with potential supply of 550 to 1,900 million liters  per day (MLD) of water.

Labeled the Centennial Dam, the project is expected to supplement the supply from Angat Dam.

Also in the agenda is MWSS’ $14.3-million project funded by Manila Water and Maynilad that will divert the Sumag River in Quezon to Umiray Tunnel to augment the water supply in Angat Dam.

The agency will also rehabilitate the Angat-Umiray transbasin tunnel to maximize the inflow of water from Umiray River.

Another MWSS project is the $125-million Angat Water Utilization and Aqueduct Improvement project, which was recently completed. The completion of this project paves the way for the long-needed repair and rehabilitation of Aquaducts 1 to 5. With an estimated project cost of more than $300 million, the bidding for this phase of civil works is slated for early 2013.

To enable the MWSS to generate additional revenue, the operation and management of Angat Dam’s auxiliary turbines 4 and 5, which have a total generating capacity of 28 megawatts, will also be offered in a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement.