Suarez urges gov't to revisit Sumag River project to aid in water crisis

Outgoing House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez is urging the government to revisit the Sumag River Diversion Project in Quezon Province to provide additional water reserves for Metro Manila as the metropolis is gripped with a shortage of the resource.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Suarez said the Sumag River Diversion Project, which was suspended in 2016, could be an additional source of water for Metro Manila.

He said Sumag River will be connected to the Umiray-Angat Transbasin Tunnel, which will join the Umiray River in supplying water to Angat.

"The Minority recommends revisiting the benefits of this project," Suarez said.

"Of course, the firm and non-negotiable terms of this project should also be revisited, to assure strict and faithful compliance with the Constitution, environmental, and safety laws," he added.

Several parts of Metro Manila and Rizal province were hit by a water crisis beginning March this year, which Manila Water, the provider of water to the east concession zone of the area, attributed to the low water supply at the La Mesa Reserve.

Last month, Manila Water President and CEO Ferdinand Dela Cruz reported that while there was still a deficit situation, their water service delivery has improved after they were able to activate the Cardona Water Treatment Plant and harvested supplies from deepwells.

However come June, the water level in Angat Dam has gone below critical level, which resulted in another round of water service interruptions.

In order to address this issue, Suarez urged government agencies to revisit the proposed Quezon project.

"No doubt, we need long-term solutions and these solutions are right in front of us. As a country surrounded by bodies of water, however, we shall be a living contradiction if this water shortage continues," he said.

Earlier in the day, the House Committees on Public Works and Highways and Natural Resources adopted House Bill 8068 which seeks the creation of the Department of Water, Irrigation, Sewage and Sanitation Resource Management.

The measure primarily aims to strengthen and coordinate water resource planning and policy-making to make the allocation and use of water resources sustainable and fair. — MDM, GMA News