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CITY OF
MALOLOS—Finally, Bulakeños may quench their thirst with
water from the very source Metro Manilans get theirs.
This,
after the provincial government of Bulacan, represented
by Gov. Joselito Mendoza; Lorenzo Jamora, administrator
of Manila Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) Antonino
Aquino, president of Manila Water Co.; and a
representative of the Office of Government Corporate
Counsel signed a memorandum of agreement Thursday at the
Hiyas ng Bulacan Convention Center for the construction
of the Bulacan Bulk Water Supply.
Gladys
Sta. Rita, provincial administrator of Bulacan, said the
rationale behind the project is that the province has
been experiencing water shortage for the past several
years despite the fact that Metro Manila gets its water
from Angat Dam located in Bulacan province.
The
objective is to meet the potable-water demand of 10
Bulacan towns at a supply volume of 120 million liters
per day by the year 2010 and an additional 70 million
liters per day by the year 2014.
The
province’s water-supply source is highly dependent on
its groundwater resources for its more than 3 million
population, Sta. Rita said, adding that this has greatly
strains the groundwater resources and causes
environmental degradation and saltwater intrusion that
leads to poor quality of water to at least 10 towns in
Bulacan.
The
project components, Sta. Rita said, 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.
She
explained that 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, Rivera said, 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.
Phase
One, Sta. Rita said, entails the construction of a
raw-water aqueduct to abstract raw water from MWSS’s
existing aqueduct.
The raw
water will be conveyed to the proposed water-treatment
plant and after treatment, the bulk water will be stored
to a reservoir where it is delivered to the
reservoir/delivery point of each water district.
Sta.
Rita said the local water districts in the province will
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.
It is
also expected to attract investors to locate in Bulacan
because of its adequate water supply and, at the same
time, address the spread of waterborne diseases caused
by contaminated groundwater supply that is the main
water source in the province. |
