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CITY OF
MALOLOS—The construction of the Bulacan Bulk Water
System project, despite opposition from some quarters,
may soon get the green light for it to proceed.
The
Manila Water Co. Inc., a concessionaire of the Manila
Water Sewerage System (MWSS), conducted on Wednesday a
“Lakbayan” tour for media people on its facilities at La
Mesa Dam in Balara and on the UP campus in Quezon City,
and explained the company’s capability of delivering
quality services to the public.
The MWSS,
Manila Water Co., Office of the Government Corporate
Counsel and the provincial government of Bulacan in
December 2007 forged a deal for the multimillion-peso
Bulacan Bulk Water System project.
The
initial objective of the project is to meet the
potable-water demand of 10 Bulacan towns at a supply
volume of 120 million liters per day by 2010 and an
additional 70 million liters per day by 2014.
The
project components include raw-water aqueduct to be
interconnected to the existing aqueduct, modular
treatment plants to be done in two phases, reservoirs
and pumping stations, and primary pipes for treated
water.
The
project is worth P11 billion, to be implemented in three
phases in the next 10 years.
The
first phase is to provide potable water to two cities
and eight towns of Bulacan—the cities of Malolos and
Meycauayan and the towns of Bocaue, Balagtas, Bulacan,
Marilao, Guiguinto, Obando,
Santa Maria
and Pandi—that currently have problems on groundwater
depletion and saltwater intrusions on its aquifer.
Construction of Phase One is expected to take three
years to be completed and once completed, Phase Two of
the project that will benefit the towns of San Rafael,
San Ildefonso, Baliuag and Plaridel will follow. And
after this will start Phase Three, which covers the rest
of the towns in the province that are found to still
have adequate groundwater supply.
The raw
water will be conveyed to the proposed water-treatment
plant and after treatment, the bulk water will be stored
in a reservoir where it is delivered to the
reservoir/delivery point of each water district of the
different municipalities and cities of Bulacan that
will, in turn, distribute the water to its customers.
The
project is expected to generate at least 10,000 regular
jobs and is the biggest infrastructure project in the
province.
However,
a motion for the issuance of a temporary restraining
order was filed in court by oppositions to the project.
According to Noel O. Julao, manager for regulations and
corporate development of Manila Water, the court did not
approve the motion for TRO, an indication that the bulk
water project may soon push through.
Julao
and other top officials of Manila Water briefed local
media persons on the master plan and the benefits that
the people of Bulacan would get with the implementation
of the Bulacan Bulk Water System project and showed the
flow chart of the water coming from the Angat Dam
passing through the nearby Ipo Dam before flowing toward
La Mesa Dam. The water then flows to the Balara
filtering plants in Balara,
Quezon City.
Julao
also disclosed that should the project start, water
coming from Angat Dam will be diverted going to the town
of Sta. Maria, where a filtering station will be built.
“Water
for Bulacan Bulk Water need not come from La Mesa Dam
anymore, because water from Norzagaray will be diverted
toward Sta. Maria,” Julao said, adding that Sta. Maria
is the ideal area for the construction of a filtering
station.
The
controversial bulk water deal has created strong
“ripples” among provincial officials here, some of whom
see the deal as highly suspicious and disadvantageous
for the province.
Vice
Gov. Wilhelmino Sy Alvarado viewed it as “a betrayal of
public trust.” |
