Bulk water facilities construction kicks off

Bulk water facilities construction kicks off Shaira Angelica S. Magno

Apo Agua Infrastructura, Inc., Davao City Water District’s partner in the development of the Davao City Bulk Water Supply Project, ceremoniously kicked-off construction of the bulk water supply facilities last November 26, 2018. This was attended by President Rodrigo R. Duterte and the DCWD team headed by Chairperson Eduardo A. Bangayan. With the construction of the intake facilities, hydroelectric power plant, water treatment plant, and treated water pipelines underway, Apo Agua is on track to supply around 300 million liters of treated bulk water per day to DCWD. In preparation, DCWD has been laying the transmission and distribution lines and constructing the storage facilities that will distribute the treated bulk water to around a million customers in DCWD’s Calinan, Cabantian, Dumoy, Panacan, and Tugbok water supply systems and would-be Talandang, Mandug, and Indangan water supply systems. In his speech during the ceremony, President Rodrigo R. Duterte expressed the importance of steady and reliable water service. “I have always believed that access [to] safe and drinking water is a fundamental right that must be enjoyed by every Filipino family so that they may lead healthy, dignified, and productive lives,” the President said. Further, he also emphasized the impact of the project not just in water service provision but as well as in espousing strong collaboration between government agencies and private

President Duterte (mid) leads the construction kick-off of the bulk water supply facilities of the Part A of the Davao City Bulk Water Supply Project in Brgy. Gumalang. With him are (from L) Aboitiz InfraCapital President and CEO Sabin M. Aboitiz, Chairperson Bangayan, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Alexei B. Nograles, and JV Angeles Construction Corp. CEO Kathryn Patricia V. Angeles.

entities. “It [the project] will not just address the increasing demand for a steady and sufficient supply of potable water for the city, but also demonstrates the success of partnerships between the government and the private sector in effecting real changes in our communities,” he explained. Among these positive changes are the foreseen benefits of the bulk water project. Aside from water supply sustainability for the city, the project will also allow DCWD to rest 45 of its 65 production wells, giving the aquifers the opportunity to recharge, thus preventing the harmful effects of groundwater over extraction. The bulk water project is one of the many programs of DCWD’s masterplan to provide adequate and safe water for the identified development centers in Davao City. Other programs include improvement and expansion projects in Binugao, Lubogan, Toril, Riverside, Wines-Baguio, Malagos, Gumalang, and Tamugan. These areas are not covered by the bulk water supply project.

Pipelaying and construction of storage facilities under Part B of the bulk water project