Firm to replace Agoo water lines destroyed by 1990 quake

AGOO, La Union, Philippines – A private company has started the construction of a P350-million potable water supply facility here that will replace structures and pipelines destroyed during a killer quake in 1990.

The Metro Agoo Waterworks Inc. (MAWI) has tapped the water of the Aringay River in Barangay Garcia, Tubao town for the project. 

Jolly Ting, MAWI chairman, told The STAR they would install more than seven kilometers of water transmission lines from Tubao to Agoo and 53 kilometers of distribution pipelines to serve at least 7,000 households.

“We hope to finish the project by the last quarter of 2015 and we will deliver potable water to households,” Ting said during a groundbreaking program yesterday.

Ting said aside from Agoo, they hoped to expand the project to the nearby towns of Aringay, Tubao and Sto. Tomas.

He said the water distribution rates would be based on those set by the National Water Resources Board.

Agoo Mayor Sandra Eriguel said a feasibility study for the project was done in 2011.

She said the July 1990 killer quake destroyed the water table or aquifer of Agoo and the underground supply became saline as the town is near to the Lingayen Gulf.

“Since then (the earthquake), the Agoo Water District (AWAD) cannot supply anymore the consumers. It went bankrupt because there were only 153 consumers left while Agoo has 65,000 population that needs potable water,” she said.

AWAD stopped operation three years ago and water supply became dirty due to dilapidated pipelines.