|
The proposed construction of the Laiban Dam, which is seen as a
vital cog in securing the water supply of Metro Manila, in the first
quarter of the year may be delayed as the government has yet to act
on its financing.
Lorenzo H. Jamora, Metropolitan Waterworks and
Sewerage System administrator, said financing for the Laiban Dam has
not moved at the Department of Finance, raising fears that the
much-delayed project may not push through at all.
Jamora said it will take five to seven years to
finish construction, and a lot of time has already been wasted
waiting for government approval as all the studies conducted on the
project have been completed.
The Laiban Dam project is intended to feed the
growing water needs of Metro Manila, which is currently sourcing
almost all of its supply from the Angat Dam.
The project has been stalled in part by the
National Broadband Network (NBN) controversy, which resulted in the
government becoming more stringent in its handling of Chinese loans.
The National Economic Development Authority
earlier approved the project through a proposed $910.66-million loan
from the Chinese government and $47.93 million to be funded by MWSS.
The proposal, however, has yet to pass the scrutiny of DOF.
But Jamora said the government does not
have to tap the Chinese government as Korea and the United States
have also come up with their own offers.
The MWSS and its water concessionaires have been
pushing for the construction of the $1-billion project, which was
started in 1980s, in light of the dangers posed by Metro Manila’s
reliance on a single water source despite its ever increasing
population.
-- Euan Paulo C. Añonuevo
|
