NEDA Board approves Kaliwa Dam project cost hike

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board, chaired by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., has approved the adjustments in the cost of constructing the Kaliwa Dam project.

In a statement on Thursday, the the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) (formerly NEDA) said the NEDA Board, during its final meeting before changing into Economy and Development (ED) Council last April 23, gave the green light to Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System’s (MWSS) request for an increase in the total project cost, a change in the project scope, and an extension of the loan validity and implementation period for the New Centennial Water Source or Kaliwa Dam project.

The approved changes brings the projects total cost to P15.3 billion from P12.20 billion.

As of December 2024, about 24.8% of the  dam’s physical construction has been completed.

The Kaliwa Dam is designed to provide an additional 600 million liters of raw water per day.

The project is expected to serve the National Capital Region and the provinces of Rizal and Cavite.

It is being constructed by China Energy Engineering Corporation through an official development assistance loan of $211.414 million signed by the Philippine and Chinese governments in 2018.

About 85% of the project will be funded through a Chinese loan, while the remaining 15% will be financed by the MWSS.

The dam is a 60-meter-high concrete gravity dam on the Kaliwa River that will have a reservoir surface area of 291 hectares.

The project is seen to have a maximum gross reservoir volume of 57 million cubic meters and a discharge capacity of 600 million liters a day.

However, groups opposing the project said it will damage 291 hectares of watershed, endanger 172 species of plants, disturb the habitat of animals and worsen the impact of climate change. —AOL, GMA Integrated News