Apo Agua holds bulk water supply project construction kick-off

Apo Agua Infrastructura, Inc. (Apo Agua), a joint venture company between Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. (AEV) and J.V. Angeles Construction Corporation (JVACC), held a ceremonial construction kick-off for the Davao City Bulk Water Supply Project (DCBWSP) Monday, November 26, at its main project site in Brgy. Gumalang, Baguio District, Davao City.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte, joined by the project’s key stakeholders, witnessed the event. The Construction Kick-Off serves as a ceremonial start to the project’s three-year construction phase which began with engineering design works earlier this year. Apo Agua is targeting to commence operations by the first half of 2021.

Romàn V. Azanza III, President of Apo Agua, said, “As a long standing partner of Davao City for over 70 years, we at Aboitiz are excited to be working with JVACC in order to provide current and future generations of Davaoeños with a sustainable, safe, and dependable source of bulk water supply. Our proven partnership with the Davao City Water District (DCWD) has led us to today’s momentous event where we celebrate the start of construction of our project.”

The DCBWSP is a strategic infrastructure initiative that will shift the dependence of Davao City’s main water supply from groundwater wells to the more sustainably-sourced surface water from the Tamugan River. Set to be the largest private bulk water supply facility in the country, the PHP 12.6-bn project will provide the DCWD with over 300 million liters per day (mld) of safe water. The treated water will be distributed to over one million Davaoeños through the DCWD’s five existing water systems (namely, Dumoy, Calinan, Tugbok, Panacan, and Cabantian), as well as via three additional new water systems at Talandang, Mandug, and Indangan.

Apo Agua and its engineering, procurement, and construction contractor, JVACC, are both committed to developing a sustainable bulk water supply for Davao City. A first in the country, the project’s water treatment facility will be powered by renewable energy sourced from a hydroelectric power plant. By tapping the Tamugan River, the project will access both the right quality and ample quantity of water in order to allow the DCWD to temporarily shut down many of its groundwater well sources. This, in turn, will ensure the preservation of the city’s water table and save it from irreversible environmental degradation such as land subsidence and saltwater intrusion–both typical results of groundwater over-extraction.

Sabin M. Aboitiz, President and CEO of Aboitiz InfraCapital, the Aboitiz Group’s infrastructure unit, said,  “Through initiatives such as the DCBWSP, we are able to realize the Aboitiz Group’s purpose of driving change for a better world by advancing business and communities. In particular, we aim to fulfill this promise by providing innovative infrastructure solutions that enable Davao City to carry out its mission to provide clean water to its residents.”