Manila Water taps PTCC, EDCOP for P721.5-M project

MANILA, Philippines - Ayala-led Manila Water Co. Inc., has contracted Phillip’s Technical Consulting Corp. (PTCC) and the Engineering and Development Corp. of the Philippines (EDCOP) to implement a P721.5-million project to augment surface water delivery and further improve water supply in three cities in Metro Manila and several towns in Rizal.

Manila Water group director for operations Geodino V. Carpoio said that “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.”

“The project, dubbed Southeast Transmission Water Mains, will ensure a more sustainable and reliable water supply that will address the increasing water needs of the customers,” he said.

As far back as March 2, 2009, Manila Water, PTCC and EDCOP undertook the preparation of a feasibility study, detailed engineering design and bid documents for the construction of the mammoth project that will further improve water service delivery to the municipalities of Cainta, Binangonan, Taytay, and cities of Taguig, Pasig, Marikina, and Antipolo.

The approved allignment program will address potential ground rapture or displacement as the water main will cross the active West Valley Fault for the region from Balara filter plant to Marikina River.

Additional features to minimize operational and maintenance concerns include provision for galvanic cathodic protection to adapt to the water logged environment traversed by the proposed transmission mains line.

The project will address the increasing supply requirement in the eastern part of Manila Water’s concession that is currently being supplied by the main PG-6 line, which is already operating to 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 as far as Rodriguez in the north, and Binangonan in the south.

“The project, targeted for completion and will be fully operational in 2012, will convey 400 million liters per day (MLD) of clean water to benefit more than 200,000 residents from more than 40,000 households. 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,” Alexander Leonardo, project delivery manager of Manila Water, said.

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 treatment plant in Quezon City which will cross the intersection of Marcos Highway and traverse the whole stretch of Imelda Ave. up to Ortigas Extension in Cainta, Rizal.

Around 70 percent of the entire stretch of the water mains project is now complete.