DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 10 January)—Consumers here can expect better supply as the P12-billion Davao City Bulk Water Supply Project (DCBWSP) of the Aboitiz-led Apo Agua Infrastructura Inc. has commenced operations on December 1, 2023, three years after the completion target.
Apo Agua‘s water treatment plant in Brgy. Gumalang along the Bukidnon-Davao highway. Photo from Apo Agua’s website
In a joint statement released by the Davao City Water District (DCWD) and Apo Agua to the media on Wednesday, the distribution of additional water sources commenced after the completion of the critical infrastructure “needed to deliver safe and reliable water.”
Through the multi-billion-peso bulk water supply project, the Apo Agua taps the Panigan-Tamugan River for additional sources of water to boost water supply in the city.
The commencement of the DCBWSP’s operations benefits the DCWD’s Calinan, Tugbok, Riverside, Dumoy, Cabantian, and Panacan water supply systems (WSSs), with Apo Agua committing to deliver 300 million liters per day through its facility.
The firms assured water consumers in the city that the water quality has complied with the Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water, the benchmark for water safety in the country, prior to distribution.
“With the commencement of Apo Agua’s bulk water supply to DCWD, water supply availability and pressure have since significantly improved, especially in areas that have been experiencing intermittent water supply,” the statement read.
The DCWD has also started accepting new service connection applications in more areas effective January 1, 2024, including all areas covered in the water utility’s Panacan WSS; Cabantian, Communal, and Indangan in Cabantian WSS; and Sasa, Pampanga, Lanang, Bajada, Buhangin, Indangan, Mandug, Agdao, and Downtown Proper in Dumoy WSS.
“While systems integration activities for Apo Agua and DCWD are currently ongoing, operational adjustments for distribution are simultaneously being carried out to expand the reach of the bulk water supply and benefit more customers,” the statement said.
It added that adjustments are needed to address isolated cases of low water pressure to no water.
The water consumers are encouraged to report any “water supply and quality concerns” during the duration of the operational adjustments “as these may be isolated cases that need additional interventions.”
The target completion of the project was originally set for 2021 but the company was forced to postpone it to 2022 due to COVID-19.
However, the project’s target completion was further postponed to 2023 due to the “internal issues” with J.V. Angeles Construction Corporation (JVACC), the former engineering, procurement, and construction contractor of Apo Agua. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
