Michelle Ducut
The Baguio Water District (BWD) and La Trinidad Water District (LTWD) are intensifying efforts to boost water supply through exploration, drilling, and infrastructure expansion to address increasing demand from population growth and tourism activities in their respective areas.
Speaking at the “Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas” forum on Tuesday, BWD General Manager Engineer Salvador Royeca emphasized the need to prepare for an estimated 10% annual population increase in 2025, coupled with the steady influx of tourists and events in Baguio City.
“Our continuous exploration and drilling are aimed at securing additional water sources as demand rises at both the household and commercial levels,” Royeca said.
To support these initiatives, BWD has secured a PHP500-million loan from the Development Bank of the Philippines to fund multiple water supply projects. From January to October 2024, five water supply augmentation and expansion projects were completed, covering 5,965 meters and costing PHP64.59 million. These projects included improvements along Asin Road, Marcos Highway, and Balacbac in Sto. Tomas.
Ongoing projects, valued at PHP47.59 million, include pipe upgrades along Barangay Irisan, Lower Pinget, Upper Fairview, and Purok 12. Additionally, five new drilling and installation projects are planned for 2025 in areas like Loakan Apugan and Bakakeng Norte. BWD has increased its water drilling targets from two to 10 projects annually to ensure adequate supply as existing sources are depleted.
Meanwhile, LTWD Development Manager Jancel Burgos reported that the district serves 13 out of 16 barangays in La Trinidad, producing 390,975 cubic meters of water monthly for 19,769 consumers. Current projects include deepwell installations in Barangays Balili and Cruz and pipe extensions in the Bahjong area.
Both districts highlighted the importance of watershed protection as part of their long-term water resource management strategies. Forest areas within their jurisdictions are being maintained to ensure the sustainability of water sources.