UK-headquartered consulting engineer, Arup, has wont a contract to help develop a new water source for Metro Manila that will pave the way to addressing the water woes of the metropolis – one of the most densely populated urban areas in the world.
Acting as the owner’s engineer to the project developer, WawaJVCo, Arup will provide technical support throughout the bidding period, and will help implement two contracts for a system to supply 80 million liters of water a day from the Upper Wawa Dam. Among the services to be provided include design review, site supervision and contract management services.
Currently fed by the Angat, Ipo and La Mesa Dams, drought conditions across the region combined with a growing population have led to difficulties in meeting water needs. As a result, residents have experienced supply issues ranging from low pressure to no water at all.
It is planned that the system will be able to start supplying water to Metro Manila on or before December 31, 2021 with an initial capacity of 80 million liters per day (MLD). On or before December 31, 2025, the dam should be able to provide a reliable water supply of 518 MLD, which is sufficient to cater for around three million people.
Wawa JVCo is a joint venture of Enrique Razon’s Prime Metroline Infrastructure Holdings Corporation (Prime Infra) and Oscar Violago’s San Lorenzo Ruiz Builders Group (SLRB). The company received final approval from the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) for this project in November 2019
(Sources: Global Construction Reviews; ARUP)
