Government sets bid for Angat dam rehab

MANILA, Philippines - The government is set to start the bidding for the rehabilitation work of the Angat dam, an official said.

“By next week, we may be publishing (the notice) for the bidding of the Angat dam rehabilitation,” Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) chairman Ramon Alikpala told reporters in a chance interview.

The rehabilitation of the Angat dam in Bulacan will involve thickening the wall of the dam in order to store more water.

According to the proposed rehabilitation program, the improvement would allow the reservoir to hold an additional 400 million milliliters of water per day (mld) or even a maximum of 600 million mld.

The rehabilitation work will likewise involve putting up spillways and a dike.

MWSS officials earlier said the spilling level of the dam would be raised to 216 meters above sea level (masl) from 210 masl.

Alikpala said the rehabilitation work would not only increase the dam’s storage capacity but likewise prepare the dam for possible earthquakes since it has been found to be sitting along the Marikina fault line.

“This (rehabilitation work) can also help in flood management,” he noted.

The National Economic and Development Authority Board approved the strengthening of the Angat dam and dike project which costs P5.72 billion last month.

The 44-year old Angat dam provides 97 percent of water requirements of Metro Manila.

The dam likewise generates 246 megawatts of power for Luzon and provides irrigation for Bulacan and Pampanga farmlands.

Last week, the Korea International Cooperation Agency extended a $3.5 million worth of grant to the National Resources Water Board to secure Angat as one of the sources of water supply, power and irrigation.

The grant will be used to fund the three-dimensional geospatial empowered technology to monitor on-site information and foresee overall system performance.