The completion of the Kaliwa Dam is expected to address Metro Manila’s annual water supply drought, according to an expert from the state weather bureau.
“Ang nangyayari kasi ang Angat pwersadong-pwersado sila magbigay ng tubig kasi nga doon lang umaasa ang lahat… ng residente ng Metro Manila plus yung karatig-bayan natin, [What’s happening is that Angat is being forced to provide water because most residents of Metro Manila and neighboring areas relies largely on it,” Juan Elmer S. Caringal, Hydrologist of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said in an interview.
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“Kung matatayo yung Kaliwa (dam), matutulungan ang Angat sa pagbibigay ng tubig sa mga residente ng Metro Manila (and nearby provinces) [If the Kaliwa Dam is completed, it will help Angat in providing water supply among residents of Metro Manila and nearby provinces].”
The P12.2 billion Chinese-funded Kaliwa Dam is expected to provide Metro Manila and nearby provinces with 600 million liters of water per day, according to the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS).
It is also expected to lessen the 90% potable water share of the nearly 60-year-old Angat Dam, which encounters critical water levels annually, especially during the dry season.
For instance, on July 18 the Angat dam’s water level dropped to a critical level of 173 meters, compared to its normal high-water level of 210 meters.
Mr. Caringal noted that the Kaliwa dam, like any other dam, could help store and manage excess rainwater that could potentially cause flooding in flood-prone areas of Metro Manila.
“Tsaka…mababawasan ng kaunti ang pagbabaha sa Pasig at Marikina [Also, it will slightly reduce flooding in Pasig and Marikina],” he said.
Despite various protests and opposition due to Kaliwa Dam’s potential harm to the environment and risk of displacing indigenous people from their ancestral lands.
Kaliwa Dam’s construction is at 30% in March, and it is expected to be completed by 2027.
Environment and local communities
The promises of the Kaliwa Dam may benefit residents of Metro Manila, but it may adversely affect the environment and lives of local communities, according to Green Peace.
“Yes, construction can potentially have positive impacts in some aspects, such as water supply. But a cost of what? Is it at the cost of the environment, alam nating bio-sensitive yang area na ‘yan [We know that area is bio-sensitive],” Jefferson Chua, Climate Campaigner for Green Peace said in an interview.
A MAN arrives at a shallow part of Agos River, where the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System is planning to build a dam. — PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO / EFIGENIO TOLEDO IV
“There are communities there, (who are) Indigenous people (Dumagat-Remontado Indigenous group) that have intimate ties to the land.
One main point of opposition to the Kaliwa Dam is that it is projected to inundate 113 hectares of forest land.
Eight to eleven villages and 39 indigenous communities, totaling 1,465 families, are also at risk of being displaced.
However, proponents of the project claimed that only 46 families will be directly impacted by the dam.
Mr. Chua urges people to scrutinize the Kaliwa Dam project as it may justify the harm to indigenous people for the benefit of others.
“For us, development should be for all, and not just for all, it should be equitable,” he said.
Mr. Chua emphasized that the concerns within the communities must be fairly addressed before the completion of the dam project. – Edg Adrian A. Eva
