History
In 2012, the proposal for the Kaliwa Dam was made by the Philippine Government to address and solve the issue of the increasing water demands in Metro Manila. It’s height is measured to be 60 meters and is said to have a 600 MLD (million-liters-a-day) capacity. Aside from addressing the water shortage in Metro Manila, it is also meant to ease the demand on the Angat Dam, which is Metro Manila’s sole water storage facility. It is also the main component of the “New Centennial Water Source-Kaliwa Dam Project” in Tanay, Rizal.
Originally approved by President Benigno Aquino III in May 29, 2014, it has since been continued by President Rodrigo Duterte in 2019.
Aquino Administration's Original Proposal
Tracing back to the Water Security Legacy (WSL) Roadmap by the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) in 2012-2016, this document is said to contain plans for “the development of a dam at the Kaliwa River (Laiban Dam), and/or a smaller dam downstream (Kaliwa Low Dam) to maximize water supply, ensure short - and long - term redundancy, and optimize power generation capacities.”
The proposal was also stated to include the following: (in the initial market sounding)
Laiban Dam and/or Kaliwa Low Dam;
“Head works and its appurtenant facilities”
“Conveyance structure from the diversion point to the water treatment facility(s)”;
“Water treatment facility(s); and”
“Hydropower facility(s)”
In October 4, 2013, when the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Investment Coordination Committee (ICC) had their Joint Cabinet Committee and Technical Board Meeting, the following changes were made to the proposal:
The project be developed in stages, “allowing for the construction on the Kaliwa Low Dam to begin sooner” (as suggested by the MWSS)
A different financial mechanism to be used for the components of the Laiban Dam
Duterte Administration’s Continuation of the Project
Due to the change in proposal to have the project be built in stages, only stage one, involving Kaliwa Low Dam and water supply tunnel was approved by the Aquino Administration. Once the Aquino Administration had ended, the Duterte Administration picked up the project and had made one big change to it.
In 2019, the Philippine Government revealed that it will no longer be the Kaliwa Low Dam proposal of the Japanese and would instead turn to the Chinese for loans to fund the project.
Issues
The Kaliwa Dam project has faced numerous protests due to the effects of the project on the Indigenous communities and environmental wildlife. Environmental groups have claimed that the project will displace and kill numerous species that live in the area. The Sierra Madre, one of the largest remaining rainforests in the country, is also said to be heavily affected with Environmental groups also saying that it will “destroy a great portion of the Sierra Madre Range”.
The Kaliwa Dam project will also destroy the homes of the already critically endangered Philippine Eagle. (Other species affected: North Philippine Hawk-Eagle; Philippine Brown Deer; Philippine Warty Pig; Northern Rufous Hornbill)
It is also said that the project will “submerge parts of General Nakar and Infanta in Quezon Province” (estimating that 500 households in Pagsangahan will be displaced) with the Haribon Foundation stating that “the town of Infanta, which is a delta or a landform created by deposition of sediment, might be erased from the map if this project pushes through”.
Ancestral Lands belonging to the Dumagets and Remontados indigenous groups will also be affected by the Kaliwa Dam Project with the Organization of Indigenous Agta/Dumagat stating that “the project would displace 10,000 members of the Dumagat tribe.”
The Commission of Human Rights has also allegedly stated that there was a “fake consultation and approval from the affected indigenous communities” despite the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) issuing the project with an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) which requires “a free prior and informed consent from the indigenous people” to be given.
Sources:
Garcia, A. (2019, October 29). What is the Kaliwa Dam project? Retrieved from https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/713465/what-is-the-kaliwa-dam-project/story/.
Kaliwa Low Dam. (2019, October 19). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaliwa_Low_Dam.