Since the massive water supply shortage that was experienced in Metro Manila last 2019, the strong need to find additional water sources has been put into the limelight.
Since then, various efforts were already initiated in order to prevent a shortage of such magnitude which greatly affected the majority of the east zone of Metro Manila.
Both Maynilad Water Services, Inc. and Manila Water Co., Inc. – the two water concessionaires serving the capital have long been urging the government to develop new water sources as the angat dam will no longer suffice the ever growing water demand of the metropolis.
A CONTINUING PROBLEM
all stakeholders Admit that a water supply crunch in Metro Manila will be experienced again unless additional water sources and treatment plants can be developed the soonest.
Currently, Metro Manila’s main source of raw water supply are the Angat, Ipo and La Mesa Dams which are then processed by the La Mesa and Balara treatment plants in order to be clean and potable.
Combined, the treatment plants can only process 4,000 million liters per day of raw water – a number that is already becoming insufficient for the needs of Metro Manila’s ever growing population.
Officials have already seen the extent of the problem caused by unavailability of water supply and already pushed the current administration to identify and focus on building water-related projects especially that droughts are expected to be hotter than historical averages due to the effects of climate change and global warming.
Proposed Solutions
At present, there are several proposed bulk water supply projects and dams intended to secure Metro Manila’s water supply in the coming years.
Among those projects are Manila Water’s East Bay water supply project and the AMA bulk water supply project that will both source from Laguna lake.
The East Bay project is estimated to cost p13.6 billion and provide 250 million liters per day (MlD) of water while the AMA bulk water project will need around p3 billion to offer 50 MlD of water that are both intended to bridge the supply gap until larger dams are completed.
Meanwhile, one of the dams that are currently in development to provide a longer-term solution for the water supply of Metro Manila includes the Kaliwa Dam that will be constructed in the towns of Teresa and Tanay in Rizal province and General Nakar and Infanta in Quezon Province.
It will involve the development of a 60-meter tall dam with a riverbed elevation of 100 meters with a reservoir surface area of 291 hectares and a full supply level volume of 57 million cubic meters. it has a p12.2 billion project cost wherein 85 percent will be funded by China via official development assistance and the remaining 15 percent by the Philippine government.
Another is the Wawa Bulk water supply project in Rizal province that is being put up by Wawa Jv Co., the joint venture between Enrique Razon’s prime Metroline Infrastructure Holdings Inc. and Businessman Oscar Violago’s San Lorenzo Ruiz Builders group, aiming to supply 80 MlD of water by next year and over 500 MlD by 2025.
However, proponents of the project said that the completion of its initial phase could be delayed if they cannot complete concreting of the critical structure of the dam before the rainy season but assured that all the necessary permits and requirements for its construction are already settled.
The Price the Price of Convenience
As proposed solutions to stabilize the capital’s water supply will involve expensive developmental costs, the Metropolitan Waterworks and sewerage system-regulatory office said that completion of these projects would cause additional fees to consumers. Though, the regulatory body assured that the voice of the public are being heard in approving such projects.
“Dams are really the solution for our supply problem but I can say that the most expensive water is having no water at all. We also need these projects for an alternative source but water rates will go up with their development. However, we will listen to the public if they don’t want these to be developed and settle with a possible water supply rotation instead of experiencing an increased water rates,” Patrick Ty, the agency’s chief regulator, said before.
Keeping Water Accessible for All
Amid the expected rate increase that will result from the completion of additional water sources, studies conducted by multiple agencies claim that water rates in Metro Manila are among the lowest both locally and internationally.
According to 2019 data from the local Water utilities administration (LWUA), monthly water bill including 12 percent value added tax and environmental charges in Metro Manila is the lowest compared to other metropolitan cities in the country at p104 per month for 10 cu. m. consumption.
For the said criteria, Baguio City topped with P370 followed by San Jose Del Monte with P280 and Cagayan De Oro City with P218.
On the other hand, the LWUA noted that for 20 cu. m. consumption, Metro Manila water rates are the second lowest at P306 per month compared with other urban areas in the Philippines.
Under the said water demand, Baguio City, San Jose Del Monte and Cagayan De Oro City again, led the list with rates of P775, P590 and P524.
Meanwhile, according to the 2018 global Water intelligence report, Metro Manila has the eighth cheapest water rate in select Asia-Pacific cities at P18.28 per cubic meter (cu. m.) for a consumption of 15 cu. m.
For the said list Sydney had the highest water rate at P99.63 per cu. m. while Kuala Lumpur had the lowest rate at P7.53 per cu. m.
Keep it Sustainable
As water is a finite resource, the government is also bent on efforts to keep it sustainable.
The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System’s (MWSS) Annual Million Trees Challenge (AMTC) which is a five-year watershed rehabilitation program that started in 2017 has already resulted in the planting of over four million seedlings in critical watersheds and reforestation of 9,509 hectares of forest lands.
As of last year, a total of 4,021,626 seedlings were already planted, 2,265,483 of which were in Ipo-Angat, 777,505 in La Mesa, 222,096 in Laguna De Bay, 60,473 in Kaliwa-Umiray, 552,165 in upper Marikina watershed and 143,904 in Manila Bay.
The said areas are considered critical to keep the stability of water supply in Metro Manila as well as parts of Rizal, Cavite and Bulacan.
MWSS said that AMTC is being done in partnership with various organizations that include national government agencies, local government units, civil society groups and the private sector.
A Big Glass to Fill
The water supply problem has been prevalent in Metro Manila but it doesn’t mean that the issue only affects the capital.
Cabinet secretary Karlo Nograles said that at least P1 trillion worth of investments will be needed until 2030 in order to fulfill the government’s target of a universal access to water supply in the entire country.
“Initial cost estimates to achieve this universal access is estimated at around P1 trillion until 2030 but this does not include the ideal piped water system and full sewerage systems,” he stated.
Nograles said that in order for the amount to be funded, support from private sector partners will be required under a strong regulatory regime that will incentivize efficient water and wastewater systems that will protect the public from profiteering and monopolistic behavior at the same time.
He said that at present, Philippines has access to about 150 billion cu. m. annually on the back of an average rainfall of 2,400 millimeters. likewise, average water resource availability is at 1,400 cu.m. which is above the scarcity threshold of 1,000 cu.m. but below the 1,700 cu.m. stress threshold.
Household consumption accounts for only 10 percent of the total consumption in the country while 70 percent accounts for agriculture and 20 percent for industrial use.
“These figures does not necessarily translate to water adequacy. Our water resources must be utilized through proper water management and water governance,” Nograles explained.
I Need for a More Effective Guidance
House committee on ways and means chairperson, Joey Salceda, said that the creation of the Department of Water Resources (DWR) as well as a Water Regula- tory Commission (WRC) is crucial for the success of the 2030 target as the establishment of the two proposed agencies will significantly improve the development of water related projects.
The DWR is seen to become an “over- all apex body” for the entire water sector to oversee the overall planning, programming, policy formulation and management of the resource which is currently being delegated to over 30 different agencies to date.
Meanwhile, the WRC is being pro- posed to serve as an independent and quasi-judicial body that will handle the licensing, tariff-setting, performance monitoring and other economic regulatory functions to resolve conflicting functions of water supply and sanitation projects and ensure transparency and predictability in economic regulations, among others.
Amid the said proposal, National Economic and Development Authority Assistant Secretary Roderick Planta, assured that if the two new agencies will be created, existing legal frameworks for concession agreements and water districts will remain intact.
He cited that it would operate based on current legal frameworks including the build-operate-and-transfer law, joint venture guidelines as well as agency charters, among others.
The Agri and Power Connection
Not only residential and industrial customers are being served by dams but also farmers via irrigation projects and even power distribution utilities through hydroelectric power plants and floating solar panels.
Last year, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) said that there are currently a total of 379 existing irrigation systems and future irrigation projects as well as dams nationwide that can potentially host power generation projects.
However, the agency said that while it encourages such partnerships, among its conditions for the projects is to not cause any obstruction in the delivery of irrigation water as it is the primordial service of NIA.
It added that development of power projects located in its facilities are also pushed as compared to land-based installations since they tend to cause less environmental impact during construction as with the case of floating solar projects.
NIA said that it also prevents the con- version of agricultural lands while providing additional income to the government and more power supply.
Such projects were found to be effective in reducing the amount of water lost due to evaporation which becomes particularly useful in times of drought and El Niño while being intentionally spaced- out at the same time to still allow sunlight for fish and other organisms to grow.
Cliché as it may sound but several studies and researches have already been made to discover how long people can survive without food and water. On average, these studies suggests that a person can survive for about three weeks without food but would only last three to four days if water is not present.
It is not surprising especially that up to 60 percent of an adult human body is comprised of water while 71 percent of the whole planet is liquid.
Such is the value of water that should never be underestimated and taken for granted as it is also the driving force behind several global efforts to conserve water as its finiteness is something that should be everybody’s concern.