Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 20) — The Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) on Thursday asked the help of Metro Manila’s two water concessionaires in dredging Laguna Lake to increase the reservoir of potable water.
During the House ecology committee hearing, LLDA acting general manager Senando Santiago stressed the urgency of dredging Laguna Lake due to heavy siltation.
Both Manila Water and Maynilad source a portion of their water supply from Laguna Lake.
“I was talking to Maynilad and Manila Water. Isa pa sila na kumukuha ng tubig sa Laguna Lake and converting it into potable water. We’re supplying in addition to La Mesa Dam. Now, I was asking them, pwede ba tulungan ninyo kami sa dredging kasi ‘pag nag-dredge tayo, dadami yung reservoir,” said Santiago.
[Translation: I was talking to Maynilad and Manila Water. They are also sourcing water from Laguna Lake and converting it into potable water. We’re supplying in addition to La Mesa Dam. Now, I was asking them, can you help us in dredging? Because if you dredge it, the reservoir’s capacity will be expanded.]
Santiago said the buildup of sediments in the lake has reduced its depth and affected the flow of water coming from Manila Bay and Pasig River.
“Kasi hangga’t hindi nade-dredge ‘yan, tuloy tuloy lang ang labas niyan at hindi nakakapasok yung from Manila Bay and Pasig River,” he added.
[Translation: Until it’s dredged, water will just continue to flow out while water coming from Manila Bay and Pasig River will not be able to enter the bay.]
An estimated 800 million cubic meters of silt and waste need to be removed from the lake to increase its depth from the current 2.5 meters to five meters.
Meanwhile, urban planner Felino Palafox said the dredging of Laguna Lake should be done alongside the creation of a spillway, or the Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel (SMART) in Parañaque City, like that found in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Palafox described Laguna Lake as “like a big bathtub with 23 faucets without a drain” in the absence of a spillway. He said construction of the two infrastructure projects would help avert disasters caused by heavy flooding.
“I think as a matter of priority, dapat gawin na ang [we should begin the construction of the] Parañaque spillway or SMART tunnel, and dredging because the silt is so much now. Dredge also all the rivers that are in the catchment area of Laguna Lake,” he said. “If we do it now, we’ll save human lives and billions of pesos in damage and rehabilitation.”
