The Ayala-led Manila Water Co., water concessionaire for the metropolis’ east zone, is undertaking a P721.5-million pipeline project to improve water delivery and augment water supply in three cities in Metro Manila and a city and several towns in Rizal.
Manila Water said the Southeast Transmission Water Mains Project is being done in partnership with Phillips Technical Consulting Corp. and Engineering and Development Corp. of the Philippines.
The project, which is expected to be finished by 2012, is designed to increase water supply in the east zone by 400 million liters per day. It will benefit more than 200,000 residents in more than 40,000 households in the municipalities of Cainta, Binangonan, Taytay and the cities of Taguig, Pasig, Marikina, and Antipolo.
“It will cater to the projected increase in supply requirement in the eastern part of Manila Water’s concession area and will remove the added load off the PG-6 Line,” said Alexander Leonardo, project delivery manager of Manila Water.
The project’s design incorporates engineering interventions to address potential ground rupture or displacement as it will cross the active West Valley Fault from the Balara Filter Plant in Quezon City to the Marikina River.
Additional features to minimize operational and maintenance concerns include provision for galvanic cathodic protection to adapt to the waterlogged environment traversed by the proposed transmission mains line.
The project will address the growing supply requirement in the eastern part of Manila Water’s concession that is supplied by the main PG-6 line, which is already operating at almost twice its safe design capacity to meet the current demand in the expansion areas that include Marikina, Pasig, Taguig and parts of Rizal province from Rodriguez in the north to Binangonan in the south.
The Southeast Transmission Mains Project is divided into three packages, including the laying of almost 10 kilometers of large-diameter steel pipes from the Balara plant which will cross the intersection of Marcos Highway and traverse the whole stretch of Imelda Avenue up to Ortigas Extension in Cainta, Rizal.
“With the challenge of climate change heavily impacting our water resources, it is very important that we continue to enhance our water network to ensure that there will be no deterioration of both quantity and quality of water for our 6.1 million customers in the east zone. This project will ensure a more sustainable and reliable water supply that will address the increasing water needs of the customers,” Geodino V. Carpio, Manila Water Group director for operations, said.
Manila Water earlier said it spent about P2.4 billion in the first quarter alone. The company said that it plans to spend more than its 2010 capital investment of P9.6 billion to implement priority projects that will increase reliability and expand water and wastewater coverage.
Critical projects will include developing alternative water supply sources, improving the water network, protection from natural calamities and protecting the environment through the development of new wastewater facilities.
