Adequate NCR water supply

As the population grows so does the consumption of goods. You do not need to be a genius to know that.

Take the case of Metro Manila when it comes to the consumption of that precious necessity: water.

The number of inhabitants of this metropolis increases by the day and with it comes demand. At the rate the populace is growing, the current water supply surely cannot keep up with the demand.

But a growing population is not the only cause of the dwindling water supply. The dry season has also exacerbated the already dire water situation in the metro.

Studies warn that water demand in Metro Manila and nearby provinces is expected to exceed normal levels by up to 15 percent.

The current supply has been pegged at 1,600 million liters per day (MLD) from the primary water source, Angat Dam. However, peak demand in the dry season is projected at up to 1,700 MLD.

With an increase in demand, what does the government plan to do?

Naturally, we trust the government to come up with solutions to problems of national significance. The same holds for the supply of water in the NCR.

Immediately, a new water source was identified to meet the increasing demand.

As far back as 2012, the Philippine government proposed one of several bulk water supply projects in the upper portion of the Kaliwa River Watershed.

The proposed Kaliwa Dam design had a 600-MLD capacity and was expected to ease the demand on Angat Dam, Manila’s sole water storage facility.

The original integrated project was proposed under a build-operate-transfer financing scheme bankrolled by Japan in 2019.

When the project did not move forward by the time the Aquino administration ended, the succeeding Duterte administration decided not to pursue the Japanese-proposed plan, but to pursue a bigger project to be funded by China.

Project construction finally began in 2022. However, the project encountered numerous hiccups threatening its completion.

The first concern was the perceived social impact of the project, particularly on ancestral lands.

It was estimated that at least 1,500 households in the provinces of Rizal and Quezon would be inundated by the construction. At the same time, 10,000 members of the Dumagat tribe would be displaced by the project.

The environmental impact was cited as a reason the project should be scrapped. It was pointed out that an estimated 12,147 hectares of residual forests, home to 172 recorded plants and flora species, would be affected by the dam construction.

No one argued for the millions of residents who would be directly affected by the shortage in water supply, as well as for the indigenous communities that would also be possibly affected by a water crisis in the notso-distant future.

Today, officials say that if the dam is not built, the water crisis will leave the Metro Manila area without an adequate supply beginning next year, with a severe shortage by 2027 — the year officials say the first phase of the dam will be completed.

We are also campaigning for the full protection of the environment, no doubt.

But did people think the government and the project stakeholders were so stupid and heartless that they did not undertake a thorough study on the possible effects of the project on the immediate surroundings?

Of course, I believe the Philippine government had made a feasibility study on the negative effects of dam-building in the Philippine setting and had made suggestions on how to deal with them.

Let us remain positive about the completion of the Kaliwa Dam by the end of 2026, despite numerous upheavals along the way.

Again, let us trust the government that all issues have been addressed.

“The first concern was the perceived social impact of the project, particularly on ancestral lands.

A growing population is not the only cause of the dwindling water supply.