Razon-led Prime Infrastructure Capital Inc. reported that it already completed the Tayabasan weir, which is the phase 1 of its Wawa bulk water supply project that has been targeted to supply the water needs of consumers in Metro Manila as well as those in Rizal province.
According to project timeline set out by the company, “the Tayabasan weir has filled up its reservoir early June,” signaling its completion roughly four months ahead of the October 2022 original target.
Prime Infra President and CEO Guillaume Lucci asserted “true to our fast and lean management approach, Prime Infra through WawaJVCo, has delivered a critical water infrastructure that supports the country’s infrastructure development agenda with speed – as you all know, this phase of the project was finished ahead of schedule in the middle of a pandemic.”
As designed, the Tayabasan weir is a 25-meter high roller compacted concrete structure designed to deliver 80 million liters per day.
That component has three parts: a) the weir where water is impounded; b) the pumping station that brings the bulk water to the water treatment plant; and c) the buried water pipeline where the bulk water passes to get to the water treatment plant.
For the project’s phase 2 or the Upper Wawa dam component, it has a completion target by 2025. By then, Prime Infra noted that the bulk water facility will already be able to deliver roughly 518 MLD to off-taker Manila Water Company and Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System.
The company chief executive said “even at this fast pace, we were able to secure the necessary permits and most importantly, obtain the seal of approval for the social aspects of the project.”
Lucci qualified that the social acceptance accorded to the venture shows “our capability to deliver not only critical water infrastructure but also provide economic upliftment of local communities and environmental conservation.”
In particular, he indicated that the company is “developing the master plan to make Wawa an eco-tourism site that will provide long-term positive impact” to its host communities.
It was in March this year when WawaJVCo, the corporate vehicle for the project, had secured approval from the affected indigenous peoples groups – primarily the Dumagat-Remontado IP group in Antipolo and Rodriguez, Rizal -- that will mainly be for the second phase of the Wawa bulk water supply project, which is the Upper Wawa dam.
Prime Infra emphasized that has been the fourth and final memorandum of agreement in the free and prior, informed consent (FPIC) process for the project. By far, that was also the main development which heralded the grant of certificate precondition (CP) from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), that in turn, represents the stamp of approval of the host-communities’ consent to the project.