Bulakeños will finally drink water from their own watershed – gov

NORZAGARAY, Bulacan — Now, it can be said for sure that the people of Bulacan will finally savor fresh surface water supply coming from their own mountains.

Ironically, the watershed of two major dams of Bulacan has been the main source of water for millions of residents in Metro Manila, but the people of Bulacan have never tasted their own supply of fresh surface water.

“Those days are over now,” said Governor Wilhelmino M. Sy-Alvarado yesterday as he revealed that the Bulacan Bulk Water Supply Project will soon cater to the water needs of Bulakenyos in the province’s 21 towns and thee cities through the different water districts in the province.

Arado said, the Metropolitan Water Works and Sewerage System (MWSS) is set to award the project this month to the winning bidder — the San Miguel Corporation-K Water consortium after the latter offered the lowest bulk water charge per cubic meter at 8.50 per cubic meter, beating the offers of 9.75 per cubic meter by Prime-Alloy Water Consortium and Team Polaris-Manila Water Consortium’s 10.65 per cubic meter.

The governor also explained that the winning bidder will finance the project and undertake the detailed design and construction. It will also maintain the conveyance facilities, treatment facilities and water source during a 32year concession period.

The bulk water project will help 24 water districts in Bulacan to meet the increasing water demand of their consumers and expand their service area coverage.

“It’s a blessing to the province and the people of Bulacan. The project will not only fulfill our dreams of tasting their own water supply. It will also open many job opportunities to Bulakeños as soon as the winning bidder begins the pipe-laying phase of the project,” Alvarado said.