PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan (PIA) — The ₱3 billion worth of water impounding structure of the city water district is now set to be presented to the city council as a response to the anticipated increase in water demand in the next occurrence of the El Niño phenomenon.
Walter Laurel, general manager of the Puerto Princesa City Water District (PPCWD), said in a Kapihan with Media that the study for the project has been completed that will serve for flood control, water impounding facility, and tourism purposes.
The infrastructure is expected to rise in Sta. Lucia Environmental Estate, where the city government of Puerto Princesa has given the city water district a 120-hectare area for the project. The project will be presented to the city council for the approval of the segregation of the land portion allocated for the facility.
“Kapag summer, bumababa ang flow ng ating mga ilog, dito tayo kukuha ng augmentation ng ating suplay. Sa ngayon ay tapos na ang ating geodetical investigation, napatunayan na natin sa pag-aaral na ginawa ng ating consultant na non-permeable ang tubig sa ilalim, kaya maghold ng tubig,” he said.
Estimates put the cost between ₱3 and ₱4 billion, but Laurel acknowledged that PPCWD cannot handle it alone without the national government’s support. The city water district is also in active partnership with both the public and private sectors to manage the cost.
The project was aligned under the multi-use infrastructure project of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
“Ito ay flood control project at the same time, water impounding. Sana mapondohan ng DPWH para mabawasan ang cost na iso-shoulder ni water district,” he said.
The impounding structure will also have an artificial lake that serves for recreational activities similar to the CamSur Watersports Complex.
The facility will store the diverted water from rivers like Lapu-Lapu, providing an additional water supply during the dry season. The combined Montible and Lapu-Lapur rivers generate 400,000 million liters per day (MLD), of which only 30 MLD are utilized by PPCWD for water supply.
During the rainy season, PPCWD water sources can produce 90 MLD, but it went down to around 52 MLD during the El Niño phenomenon in April and May.
Considering annual growth, PPCWD projects an increase in demand of 3,000 cubic meters per day. In the next occurrence of the El Niño phenomenon, after three years, the demand may be close to an additional 10 MLD.
“Kung wala ka gagawin na drastic in the next three years, expect natin na sa next El Niño ay rationing na naman, which is nakakahiya on our part dahil na-foresee na magkakaroon ka ng shortage bakit wala kang ginawa,” he said.
The project will benefit the 55,981 active service connections in 54 barangays connected to the PPCWD.
Aside from the impounding structure, the city water district is also working on plans, which include water source development in Inagawan, pipeline expansion, water coverage from barangays Maoyon to Maruyogon and Manalo, and the construction of a water reservoir at Mitra Ranch in Sta. Monica.
PPCWD invested ₱1.04 billion in its water service expansion and improvement from 2021 to 2024. (RG/PIA MIMAROPA-Palawan)
