Water supply is expected to get a boost from PHP80 million worth of pipelaying projects covering 5,418 linear meters in this city.

Metro Pacific Iloilo Water (MPIW) broke the ground for its three such projects and also inaugurated two completed projects here on Tuesday.

The projects aimed to improve water availability in its service areas, reach unserved areas in Mandurriao and Jaro districts, and cease the operations of illegal deep wells in the area while targeting about 6,000 new accounts.

“We do need water for Iloilo and right now, our coverage is only 26 percent. We are starting to be more aggressive in expansion and this is a small scope compared to the overall target that we want. We want to cover 100 percent of the Iloilo Water District. We expect to have more projects in the near future,” MPIW president and chief executive officer Andrew Pangilinan said in an interview.

Pangilinan, joined by Iloilo City officials led by Mayor Jerry Treñas, inaugurated the newly completed pipe expansion project in Barangay Camalig in Jaro district and the finished retrofitting project along the Carpenter’s Bridge in Molo district.

The new pipelaying projects expected to finish in six months are along Diversion Road and Barangay San Rafael in Mandurriao and Barangay Lanit and Sito Ilaya in Barangay Tabuc, all in Jaro.

Pangilinan said that in addition to pipelaying projects, they also brought foreign equipment called Sahara mobile leak detection system to address the high non-revenue water.

“That will help improve and give additional supply (of water). We will be more aggressive, we will see more pipelaying all around Iloilo City and outside concession,” he said.

Pangilinan also announced that they will start building their desalination plant in the third quarter of this year.

“We should expect additional volume for Iloilo at 65 million liters per day (MLD) by 2026. That’s a first in the Philippines,” he said.

Treñas, in his message, said the city government welcomes any initiatives or measures that can help address the depleting water sources, especially barangays affected by the El Niño phenomenon.

“These projects mark a significant step forward in ensuring the availability of essential public utilities, especially water, to all our residents. These projects do not only signify a commitment to providing quality public services but also highlight the importance of investing in sustainable infrastructure for the benefit of everyone, including the future generations,” he said.

MPIW, established by the Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD) and Metro Pacific Water (MPW), the wholly owned water infrastructure investment of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC), also serves the municipalities of Oton, Sta. Barbara, Cabatuan, Maasin, San Miguel, Pavia and Leganes. (PNA)