Tunnel boring for Kaliwa Dam expected to start in Dec. 

TUNNEL excavation work on the controversial Kaliwa Dam project is expected to start by December with the arrival next month of a boring machine, according to the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS).

“The machine is expected to arrive in the Port of Manila in July 2021 and will be transported to the outlet portal in Teresa, Rizal, for re-assembly. The 21.7-kilometer tunnel excavation using the tunnel boring machine is scheduled to begin in Dec. 2021,” MWSS said in a statement.   

MWSS Chairman Reynaldo V. Velasco said technical hazards are expected during the tunnelling operations, but assured that the country has experienced personnel for the task.   

“When I consider the magnitude of the required infrastructure, and knowing that to operate a tunnel boring machine, 200 to 500 meters below the Sierra Madre mountains, crossing population centers in Rizal, technical hazards are likely to be present,” Mr. Velasco said.   

The project is a joint venture of MWSS and China Energy Engineering Corp. (CEEC) as design and build contractor.

The China-funded project has been opposed by indigenous communities, religious groups, and environmental groups.

The dam, expected to be completed by 2025, will provide an estimated 600 million liters of water daily to Metro Manila, which currently sources most of its water supply from Angat Dam in Bulacan. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave