Apo Agua in final testing stages of Davao bulk water supply system

ABOITIZ-LED Apo Agua Infrastructura, Inc. is now in the final stages of system checks for its bulk water supply project in Davao City, which is targeted for partial operations within the month.   

In a presentation before the city council on Tuesday, Apo Agua President Anna Victoria M. Lu said they had to move the January target of water delivery due to several factors, including rains that triggered flash floods and pipelines that was damaged by another utility project.   

“Leaks were encountered during the flushing,” said Ms. Lu, who is also head of Aboitiz InfraCapital’s water business.  

She also cited “extraordinary raw water conditions” due to successive heavy flash floods at the source, the Tamugan River. 

Highly turbid water cannot be fed into the system to protect the filtration and water distribution network, she explained.  

Meanwhile, the water treatment plant facilities needed for partial operations have been tested and commissioned, and the system for operations automation is undergoing testing.   

The chemical and microbiology laboratory has also been audited by the Department of Health (DoH) for accreditation.   

Preparations are also underway for the hydro testing of pipelines to the off-take points of distributor Davao City Water District (DCWD).  

The over P13-billion project will deliver 300 million liters of water daily to DCWD.   

Apo Agua’s bulk water supply system adopts the water-energy nexus concept, where a run-of-river hydroelectric plant will power the water treatment facilities. — Maya M. Padillo