LWUA okays 6 projects for KFW funding

MANILA, Philippines - The Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) has approved the implementation of an initial six water supply improvement and expansion projects under the Third German-assisted Provincial Towns Water Supply and Sanitation Program III (PTWSSP III) with an estimated cost of P780 million which will be primarily financed from proceeds of a 10.2 euro million (about P 580 million) loan from Germany’s Krediatnstalt Fuer Weideraufbau or KFW.

LWUA will provide P120 million as counterpart fund, while the water districts will share about P80 million as their equity contributions.

This was announced by LWUA Administrator Andres Ibarra during the financial assistance contract signing held Oct. 16 and 20 at LWUA in Balara, Quezon City with four water districts namely Mabitac Water District, Laguna; Infanta Water District, Quezon; Balaoan Water District, La Union; and Orani Water District, Bataan.

The financial assistance contracts were executed by Ibarra and general managers of the water districts witnessed by officials and representatives from KFW, NEDA, LWUA and the water districts. The KFW manager Michael Sumser from Germany graced the occasion.

Recently, the Legaspi City Water District subproject worth P66 million was approved by the LWUA board of trustees. Other project beneficiaries are still in various stages of engineering studies and financial evaluation, prior to final approval by LWUA.

These are the water districts of Sta Lucia, Ilocos Sur; Baao, Camarines Sur; Kabankalan, Negros Occidental; Quezon, Bukidnon; Malay, Aklan; Binalonan, Pangasinan; Meycauayan, Bulacan; Daraga, Albay; and Tanjay City, Negros Oriental.

Aside from the improvement and expansion of water supply systems of the beneficiary water districts, the PTWSSP III once completed, would benefit about 100,000 families by year 2020.