May 11, 2023
Iloilo City looks into water supply as El Niño threat looms
This story was first published by Rappler with support from the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship.
BY FRANCIS ALLAN ANGELO
A Metro Pacific Iloilo Water tanker augments supply in Iloilo City. (MPIW photo)
Iloilo mayor worries about the possibility of water rationing unless city secures additional supply
ILOILO CITY, Philippines – The Iloilo City government on Wednesday, May 10, urged water utilities and suppliers to ensure a sufficient supply of tap water during the prolonged dry season anticipated to result from the looming El Niño phenomenon.
Iloilo Mayor Jerry Treñas met with officials of utilities Metro Pacific Iloilo Water (MPIW) and South Balibago Waterworks (SBW), and bulk water supplier FLO Water to discuss preparations for the dry spell.
Treñas said the meeting aimed to secure a commitment from water service providers for ample supply in the coming months.
During the meeting, SBW announced the installation of two new pumps in its water treatment plant in Pototan town to replace those damaged in the recent flooding.
MPIW, a consortium of Metro Pacific Water Investments Corporation (MPWI) and Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD), is finalizing the development of deep wells, which could provide an additional 5 million liters per day (MLD) of water.
MPIW serves 47,250 customers in Iloilo City and surrounding towns. The firm’s daily requirement is 80 MLD, but it can currently only deliver 71 MLD.
MPIW’s main suppliers are FLO Water (20 MLD) and Metro Iloilo Bulk Water Supply Corporation (50 MLD).
However, only half of the 71 MLD is reaching consumers due to non-revenue water, lost through leaks and pilferage, which stands at 40%.
The wastage exceeds the industry standard of 20 to 24%, prompting Treñas to prod them into lowering the non-revenue water to 15%.
FLO Water said it has 10 MLD of water available, sourced from PrimeWater, another bulk water supplier owned by the Villar group, but discussions on delivering the supply to MPIW pipes are yet to take place.
Treñas said he would meet with Metro Pacific Water Investments and FLO Water executives to discuss how to utilize the 10 MLD supply, including the possibility of connecting FLO Water’s line from Pototan town to the city.
“Right now, from FLO Water, only 20 MLD reaches the city because it’s the limit of their capacity. There were 10 [MLD] lost because the [PrimeWater] line was also lost. There are issues with the line and who would build [the line], and the price offered to the distributor,” Treñas said.
Another matter to be settled between FLO Water and MPIW is the water tariff that the latter must pay to the former, according to Treñas.
“[MPIW] may be amenable [to accept the 10 MLD] but issues are being discussed. Those are financial matters that we are [not privy to]. That’s already between the two [MPIW and FLO Water] and those are business matters that they have to discuss among themselves. Whoever would build the pipes going to the city [and] how much is the price, I will only be the bridge so they can talk, but that is their business,” he said.
Metro Iloilo Bulk Water Supply Corporation, another joint venture involving MIWD and MPWI, is considering expanding its 50 MLD supply through the development of new water wells.
Treñas warned that without additional water supply by June, the city could face rotational water schedules or rationing.
As a conservation measure, he ordered the use of treated greywater and rainwater from cisterns in La Paz Plaza for watering plants in public plazas and sidewalks.
The city government is actively seeking a new water tanker to deliver water to underserved areas.
Treñas said they were looking into the possibility of reopening previously closed deep wells, which caused an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis and cholera in 2022 due to contamination. But he said decision-makers need to be cautious about this.
“We have to prepare because El Niño is being seen to last up until March [2024], so that’s 10 months. My worry is the farmers. For us, water is also important to take a bath or clean our plates and utensils. But just the same, we have to look for ways,” he said. – Rappler.com
May 4, 2023
Delay could raise cost of Iloilo Jalaur River megadam by P4B – NIA
If the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) approves the additional funding, the total cost of the project balloons to at least P15 billion
This story was first published by Rappler with support from the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship.
DELAY. The P11.2-billion Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project Stage (JRMP) II in Calinog, Iloilo will be fully operational by 2025, instead of the original December 2023 timetable, according to the National Irrigation Administration in Western Visayas. NIA-6
By Francis Allan Angelo
ILOILO, Philippines – Daewoo Engineering and Construction has sought additional funding of P4 billion to P5 billion to complete the Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project Stage (JRMP) II in Calinog, Iloilo province.
The start of operations of the largest megadam project outside Luzon will also be pushed back by two years to 2025, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) in Western Visayas announced on Thursday, May 4 .
NIA information officer Steve Cordero told Rappler in an interview that the projected completion of the dam and irrigation system is September 2024.
Full operation starts in March 2025, he added.
If NEDA approves the additional funding, the total contract price of the project will balloon to more than P15-16 billion from the original P11.2 billion.
Under the original plan, the South Korean government through the Korean Export-Import Bank which issued an P8.9-billion loan. The Philippine government will shoulder the remaining amount.
It is not yet clear where the money for Daewoo’s new funding request will come from.
The original timetable for completion of the project was December 2023, including irrigation dams, flood control systems, and hydropower plants in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th districts of the province.
The delay prompted Daewoo to ask for additional funding, Cordero said. The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) is still evaluating the request.
The megadam project broke ground in February 2019. Actual construction started in April of the same year.
What caused the delay?
Cordero blamed the delay on erratic weather patterns: there were more rainy days than the projected dry season.
“We are dealing with concrete, the RCC (Roller Compacted Concrete) method to be specific. So we need sunny weather so that the contractor can work continuously,” he pointed out.
The pandemic also derailed some activities. The mobilization of the contractors, especially experts from Korea, was delayed.
“They were not able to arrive for the foundation treatment,” he explained.
Explaining the cost escalation, Cordero also cited the peso depreciation vs dollar
He said the late start of the project which was overtaken by price increases in materials and labor.
The original construction and completion was during the term of former president Benigno Simeon Aquino III. It was delayed due to some legal issues and the long process of getting consent from the indigenous group of the Panay Bukidnon.
Promise, opposition
In pushing the megadam project, the government dangled the prospect of irrigation flowing to 31,840 hectares of farmland in Iloilo.
It also said the JRMP II could generate 6.6 megawatts of hydroelectric power.
The megadam could double the annual rice production in Iloilo from 140,000 metric tons (MT) to 300,000 MT, and expand the production areas of sugarcane and other crops, the NIA-6 added.
It would also provide 86 million liters daily of bulk water supply for the province and city of Iloilo, generate eco-cultural tourism opportunities, and mitigate flooding in Calinog and nearby towns, officials said.
But the project has its dark underbelly.
The Tumandok community has long campaigned against the construction of the dam because it would affect 18 barangays they consider their ancestral lands.
Human rights defenders in Panay island said the killing of nine Tumandok on December 30, 2020 and the arrest of 16 others were linked to their opposition to the dam project.
But the 40-member council of elders making decisions for the Panay-Bukidnons, expressed support for the Korean-funded project as early as 2014.
Dam structures
MEGADAM. The Jalaur High Dam, which can impound an estimated 250.70 million cubic meters of irrigation and bulk water supply once completed, is 77.16% complete. (NIA-WESTERN VISAYAS)
The dam construction uses the RCC method. A modern technology, it is used worldwide as an alternative to conventional concrete due to its economic value, high performance, and high speed of construction.
Sheila Antonio, JRMP II Area Implementing Team 1 leader, said the project is already 65.58 percent complete as of March 2023.
The Jalaur High Dam will serve as the impounding dam with an estimated capacity of 250.70-million cubic meters for irrigation and bulk water supply, said Antonio.
Once completed, its structural height will reach 109 meters.
Antonio said the Alibunan River Catch Dam and Jalaur Afterbay Dam, which will provide irrigation water to farmlands and regulate water from the impounding dam to the High Line Canal, are already considered substantially completed.
The 80.736-kilometer High Line Canal, the main conveyance structure of JRMP II, is already 58.75% completed.
On April 27, NEDA officials headed by Sec. Arsenio M. Balisacan visited the project site.
“I am pleased to hear significant developments and I’m really looking forward for the completion of this project. You know one of the President’s priorities, this administration’s priority, is food security and raising production. Raising agricultural productivity is key to achieving our transformation in the agricultural sector and also the key to production efforts,” said Balisacan. – Rappler.com
Kiko Franz
Balitang Ilonggo 