RAZON-LED Prime Metroline Infrastructure Holdings, Inc. (Prime Infra) warned on Monday that it might not be able to deliver water to Metro Manila as scheduled in 2021 from Wawa dam in Rizal, citing the delay in government approval of the project.

“The development work to ensure water supply delivery of 80 million liters per day (MLD) in 2021 and over 500 MLD in 2025 that will address the ongoing water crisis in Metro Manila may not push through as planned,” the company said in a statement.

The company said it “continues to wait for the final approval of the project from the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS).”

The Wawa bulk water supply project is a joint venture between Prime Infra of businessman Enrique K. Razon Jr. and San Lorenzo Ruiz Builders and Developers Corp. of Oscar I. Violago.

“We are ready to move forward and have been proactively working with all stakeholders, public and private, to progress this project since 2018. Wawa is the fastest and least expensive water source development and comes at no cost to the government. We are hopeful that the final steps will be taken in the coming days to finally deliver a project of critical importance to the residents of Metro Manila,” Mr. Razon said in a statement.

“Curiously the government seems to be desperate for new water sources, yet MWSS continues to drag its feet.”

Prime Infra said that in the past seven months, Manila Water Co., Inc. had entered into a memorandum of understanding with Mr. Razon’s group for the development of the Wawa bulk water supply project, which is supposed to be a new water source for Metro Manila at no cost to the government.

But it said after a series of technical workshops and review by MWSS and the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel, the offtake agreement was signed by MWSS, Manila Water and the joint venture on Aug. 6, 2019.

The agreement was followed by a series of public consultations in Manila Water’s east zone concession from Sept. 3 to 9, 2019 led by the MWSS Regulatory Office.

“Project details were presented to the public alongside the tariff impact. The presentation was well received by the public because it was clear that this project is the most efficient and fastest solution to the on-going water crisis. Subsequently, the MWSS board approved the tariff,” Prime Infra said.

It said that while the joint venture continues to move forward with the project on the basis that the August agreement signing was the takeoff point, “at the moment, the MWSS continues to sit on the remaining approvals to finally move the project forward.”

MWSS officials were not immediately available for comment. — Victor V. Saulon

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