Concessionaires prepare plan for scenario without Kaliwa Dam supply

Water concessionaires Maynilad Water Services, Inc. and Manila Water Company have already started imagining a scenario without the controversial Kaliwa Dam project, preparing for their own separate contingency measures in case the Duterte Administration fails to get the China-funded project moving over the next two years.

“If we see that nothing is happening, we have to make our move,” Maynilad President and CEO Ramoncito Fernandez said.

It’s the same case for Manila Water, according to Manila Water Chief Operating Officer Abelardo P. Basilio.

The ₱12-billion Kaliwa Dam project is supposed to be the biggest solution of the Philippine government to end the recurring water supply issue in Metro Manila, which has long been dependent to the 52-yearold Angat Dam.

The project involves the construction of a massive dam in Quezon and Rizal province that will have a capacity to treat as much as 600 million liters of water per day (mld).

Construction will be done by China Energy Engineering Corporation (CEEC) and will be funded by the Chinese government through an Official Development Assistance (ODA) deal with the Philippines.

It’s been more than two years since the Duterte Administration first attempted to get the project started. And finally, a few weeks ago, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) issued the much-awaited environment clearance to the project.

The only thing that’s stopping CEEC now to proceed with the Kaliwa Dam’s construction is the lack of approval from the communities of Indigenous People (IP) in Rizal and Quezon that will be affected by the project and will likely be displaced.

So National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP), for its part, has not given its green light for the Kaliwa Dam, but it hasn’t issued any statement condemning the project either.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) Administrator Emmanuel Salamat said the government’s dialogue with IP communities in the areas is ongoing, but he declined to comment when asked if he thinks the NCIP will come up with a decision within this year.

“Our agreement with MWSS is if we feel that Kaliwa Dam is being delayed, we will not sit down [and just wait]. We will proactively promote another water source,” Fernandez said.

The new water source, he said, may involve tapping another 300 mld from Laguna de Bay, the largest fresh water lake in the Philippines and the third largest in Southeast Asia.

“In 2021, if we see nothing is happening, we have to make our move [and start building another plant],” he further said.

Maynilad now has two water treatment plants that draw water from Laguna Lake.

The construction of the third plant is slated to start in January, while the construction of the fourth plant would be the company’s major contingency measure if the Kaliwa Dam won’t happen in the next two years. (Madelaine B. Miraflor)