Sumag River Diversion Project

Bridge in General Nakar, Quezon

Sumag River Diversion Project

Coordinates| 14°56′11″N 121°20′50″E﻿ / ﻿14.93639°N 121.34722°E﻿ / 14.93639; 121.34722
Locale| General Nakar, Quezon
Begins| Sumag River
Ends| Umiray-Angat Transbasin Tunnel
Maintained by| Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System
Characteristics
Total length| 600 m (2,000 ft)
Diameter| 2.50 m (8 ft 2 in)
History
Construction start| 2014
Location

The Sumag River Diversion Project (SRDP) is an expansion project of the Umiray-Angat Transbasin Project (UATP) Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) for the supply of the Angat Dam reservoir. The 600 meter long and 2.50 meter diameter tunnel-aqueduct system diverts waters from the Sumag River, a tributary of the Umiray River, east of the Angat Basin. The SRDP is forecasted to add 188 mld to the existing 777.6 mld capacity of the UATP.[1][2][3][4]

## History[edit]

The UATP was completed in June 2000, but on November 29, 2004, the tunnel and its facilities were severely damaged because of the effects of Typhoon Unding. This resulted to a complete stoppage of operation of UATP as boulders, logs, and mud clogged the tunnel. It took 3.5 months to declog the tunnel while Metro Manila experienced a 30% drop in supply of water. MWSS sought a permanent solution, and this resulted to the Umiray-Angat Transbasin Rehabilitation Project (UATRP).[5][6]

Studies for the UATRP began in 2013 and on December 28, 2015 the MWSS released the Notice of Award to A.M. Oreta Construction. However, work has been stalled by the Local Government Unit after the flooding accident at the SRDP.

In 2014, the SRDP finally commenced and the objective was to connect the Sumag River with the existing UATP. The P717 million contract was awarded by MWSS and Maynilad to Cavite Ideal International Construction and Development.[7][5] The project has been beset with delays and a suspension because of a flash-flooding incident resulting to the deaths of six workers and surveyors in 2016.[8][9] In November 2019, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the continuation of the tunnel, with Cong. Danilo Suarez providing a support last July 2020. As of March 2021, the project is 71.29% complete.[4][10]

## See also[edit]

* Aqueduct (water supply)
* Hydroelectricity

## References[edit]

1. ^ "EDCOP". www.edcop.ph. EDCOP. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
2. ^ Project Completion Report on the Umiray-Angat Transbasin Project (PDF) (Report). October 2004. p. 50. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
3. ^ "Impact Evaluation Study on Public-Private Partnership the case of Angat Water Supply Optimization Project and the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System" (PDF). Japan International Cooperation Agency. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
4. ^ a b "MWSS - Sumag River Diversion Project". Retrieved 30 May 2022.
5. ^ a b "MWSS Annual Report 2017" (PDF). MWSS. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
6. ^ "Lesson Learned from the Extreme Natural Disaster" (PDF). Unidad Nacional para la Gestión del Riesgo de Desastres. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
7. ^ "Maynilad signs project contract for additional water supply". Maynilad Water Services, Inc. 28 April 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
8. ^ "1 dead, 5 missing in Sumag tunnel flash flood in Quezon". RAPPLER. 14 August 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
9. ^ Ochave, Revin Mikhael (September 16, 2020). "Quezon water supply project restarts after four-year suspension". BusinessWorld. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
10. ^ "Quezon water supply project restarts after four-year suspension". BusinessWorld Online. BusinessWorld. 16 September 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2022.