The forest floor (Figure 1.6): Figure 1.6
This layer is composed of decaying vegetation and other decaying material; this is because when leaves from trees fall to the ground the microorganisms, worms and insects feast on them and produce the nutrient rich soil. However in some areas of La Mesa there is very little forest cover and this results in sunlight coming through and encouraging more growth of ground cover.
Soils and Rocks (Figure 1.7):
The soils in La Mesa are high expansion soil, sticky soil and loam soil. Most of the rocks in La Mesa are of volcanic origin. Vegetation covers most of the soil and right beneath that is a thin layer of top soil. After the thin layer of top soil there is a sub soil seven feet thick, which is mostly composed of clay and loam and characteristically crumbly. The solid rock or bedrock below the subsoil is mostly volcanic in origin and also some of it is conglomerate.
Figure 1.7
-
An Open System: The hydrological cycle at La Mesa
Graphical representation of the hydrological cycle is on a separate poster.
-
Safeguarding the Water Supply: Drainage basin management issues and the work of Bantay Kalikasan
It is important to safeguard the water supply at La Mesa to protect the water from becoming polluted, contaminated and depleted. This is imperative because it supplies the majority of water to Metro Manila, and also because it is an important ecological and biological area of land to the Luzon region. The problem of leakages exists and the most serious leakages are coming from aqueduct no. 5, which carries about 50% of the total water supply of Metro Manila. Thus, if it is not investigated and repaired, the leakages will continue and this will mean water lost and less water to the Metro Manila area. Also, since the area is not “a strict protection zone” which according to a recent pronouncement by President Arroyo that it is a “protected area subject to private rights,” this means that a housing project could be started and this would endanger the majority of Metro Manila’s water supply. Already there are 35 squatter families living on the area, with uncontrolled and improper waste disposals and the management of La Mesa cannot force them out because the area is not a “strict protection zone” yet. A number of environmental groups advocated the safeguarding of La Mesa but, the government has not done anything in either financial aid or legislative plans to make the area protected. In fact, most of La Mesa’s funds (over 95%) come from the general public. Also because there has been little effort made by the government, Bantay Kalikasan which is the environmental arm of the AFI (ABS-CBN Foundation Inc.), had asked the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to reconsider their issuance of an ECC (Environmental Compliance Certificate), to any housing project, and instead put their efforts into preserving the integrity of La Mesa and its water resources.
B) The Transfer of Water from the Water sources to Balara Filtration Plant
-
Water Supply: The Angat – Ipo – La Mesa –Balara Raw Water System
Figure 1.8
Journey of water supply (Figure 1.8) for La Mesa begins at the Umiray basin, which is located in General Nakar, Quezon. About 18% of Metro Manila’s water supply flows from the Umiray River. Then it passes through the Angat reservoir, located in San Lorenzo, Norzagaray, Bulacan, where 80% of the water supply to Metro Manila comes from. Then from here it flows down to La Mesa Dam. Another contributor to the water in La Mesa is the Ipo Dam which is a “gravity concrete diversion dam constructed in 1984.” In La Mesa the water is pre-treated before entering the Balara Treatment Plant. Then, when the water enters the Balara Treatment Plant the water is treated some more in Filtration plant no. 1 and Filtration plant no. 2. Filter 1 produces 470 MLD (million liters per day) while Filter 2 produces 1,130 MLD; these are the present production numbers.
C) The Process of Water Purification
-
Water Treatment: Manila Water’s Treatment Plant at Balara.
Figure 1.9
Figure 2.0
When raw water enters La Mesa Dam it carries a lot of dust, germs, sediment and other minerals, so when it enters the filtration plant (Figure 1.9) it is given a pre-chlorine treatment to kill the germs in the water. After this step, coagulants (Alum and Polymer) are added into the water to make the dust, sediment and other dissolved minerals coagulate and group together. When they group together they attain the appearance of yellow soap bubble “lumps” (Figure 2.0). These lumps float to the surface or sink to the bottom. Then the water passes through the flocculators, where the “lumps” which float on the surface are removed. Then the water passes through the sedimentation basin where the “lumps” that sink to the bottom are removed. After passing through the flocculators and sedimentation basin, the water is injected with chlorine again. Afterwards the water passes through filtration beds, these filtration beds act as strainers; each one is smaller than the next, to remove microscopic impurities in the water. After passing through the filtration beds the water is given a final treatment of chlorine to kill any germs or microbes that was left over from the previous chlorine treatments. Then, after undergoing the final chlorine treatment the water is pumped to the taps in Metro Manila.
D) Ideas for increasing the Water Supply
-
Providing for Growing Water Needs: Developing new water sources
In 2007 Greenpeace released a study, which reported that the quality of fresh water in the country was declining; and the quantity of water was declining as well. In the third quarter of that year, the water Angat Dam fell below critical levels due to a 2 month drought. To resolve future water shortages, one of the projects that are under development; include the MWSS’s (Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System) plan (started in 2007) to use Laiban Dam as a new source of water for Metro Manila. The Administrator Lorenzo Jamora says that developing the Laiban Dam as a new source is part of MWSS’s vision to ensure an adequate and clean water supply to Metro Manila.
The construction of this project is due to start in 2010 and finish in 2015 (it will take 5 years to finish.) When completed it is predicted that this dam will have the potential to provide up to 1900 MLD and according to a study it is said that the Laiban Dam could ensure the water supply demands of Metro Manila for the next 30-40 years. In addition to maintaining the water supply demands of Metro Manila the Laiban Dam, when built, will also supply energy to Luzon and alleviate the recurring energy crisis that Luzon frequently experiences, it is predicted that it could be able to generate about 153 Megawatts per hour per year. However it’s current status as of June 2008 is that the President has cancelled the project under the China Loan. Thus, the MWSS is trying to find other ways to get the project through. Right now an American firm, CalEnergy International, is about to submit its proposal on the project.
Despite the benefits mentioned, the Haribon foundation and Greenpeace oppose this project because they believe it will displace 3,500 indigenous families in 8 villages around the area. The path to adequate and safe water supply to Metro Manila is to fix and monitor the leakages in the pipes instead of building more dams according to the Haribon foundation and Greenpeace.
Another project that is under development is the Angat Water Utilization and Aqueduct Improvement Project (AWUAIP.) This project was conceived, when in 2002, during an inspection it was revealed that about 13 leakages had occurred on some sections of aqueduct no. 5, only 3 major leaks were repaired but the leaks continued in other sections. Although there were still leakages, they decided not to fix it and instead construct a new aqueduct that would serve as a bypass for future leakages. One of the project’s objectives is to reduce the leakages of aqueduct no. 5, which carries around 50% of Metro Manila’s water supply. Another of the objectives is to create another aqueduct, no. 6, to serve as a bypass and accommodate additional supply of water from the Angat and Umiray Basin. The final objective of the project is to construct a new water treatment plant to use the recovered water allocated to the MWSS. When completed, this project will reduce leakages from aqueduct no. 5, thus maintaining the water supplied to Metro Manila.
E) Miscellaneous inclusions
-
Bibliography and or footnotes in MLA format
Madrigal, M. A.. "P.S. RES. NO.35." P.S. RES. NO.35. Republic of the Philippines. 22 Feb 2009 <http://www.jambymadrigal.com/resolutions_2007/res_35_La%20Mesa%20Resolution.pdf>.
MWSS, "Laiban Project." Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System. MWSS. 22 Feb 2009 <http://mwss.gov.ph/projects.php?id=11>.
Trees, Mighty. "Forest Stratification." Mighty Trees. Mighty Trees. 22 Feb 2009 <http://www.mightytrees.com/science/foreststrat.html>.
Burgonio, TJ . "MWSS to tap Laiban Dam as new source of Metro Manila water." Haribon. 15/Oct/2007. Haribon Foundation. 22 Feb 2009 <http://www.haribon.org.ph/?q=node/view/496>.
MWSS, " Angat Water Utilization and Aqueduct Improvement Project (AWUAIP)." Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System. MWSS. 22 Feb 2009 <http://mwss.gov.ph/projects.php?id=10>.
Self Assessment / Reflection Ideas
During the trip to La Mesa, I found out a lot about drainage basins, the issues that come up for the managers of a drainage basin, the structure of a drainage basin and the vegetation in a drainage basin. Although some of the above mentioned are only unique to La Mesa, I still believe that the trip gave me a better understanding of drainage basins. When we arrived there we were immediately given a speech by one of the people who run La Mesa. He talked about the different issues that La Mesa faced and what people were doing to alleviate those issues. All in all I enjoyed the trip, because the fieldwork we did during the trip gave us some real time information about La Mesa including the flora in La Mesa as well as the new structures in the Balara Filtration Plant e.g. the overhanging canals. Although the trip was enjoyable and I learned a bit more, I could have improved the quality of my learning by reading up on La Mesa before going on the trip, which would have helped me formulate questions to clarify existing information. The information learned beforehand would have been reinforced by the presentations and other activities. To make this trip better, I believe a PowerPoint presentation about La Mesa, with major information put in bullet point form would have more impact. Then, at the Balara Filtration Plant there should have been a PowerPoint presentation or a video on the filtration process. It should have animations illustrating the path of the water from the Umiray Basin to the filtration plant and animations illustrating the different stages in the water treatment process at Balara Filtration.
There is real potential in educating the general public on the importance of water and its conservation. Scarce financial resources of the MWSS limit this potential. Private institutions or even individuals should help by developing or producing simple videos, cartoons or other forms of animations as instructional materials. This is the least we could do to safeguard the water supply or gain support for such a cause.
MWSS, " Angat Water Utilization and Aqueduct Improvement Project (AWUAIP)." Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System. MWSS. 22 Feb 2009 <http://mwss.gov.ph/projects.php?id=10>.
Madrigal, M. A.. "P.S. RES. NO.35." P.S. RES. NO.35. Republic of the Philippines. 22 Feb 2009 <http://www.jambymadrigal.com/resolutions_2007/res_35_La%20Mesa%20Resolution.pdf>.
Madrigal, M. A.. "P.S. RES. NO.35." P.S. RES. NO.35. Republic of the Philippines. 22 Feb 2009 <http://www.jambymadrigal.com/resolutions_2007/res_35_La%20Mesa%20Resolution.pdf>.
Burgonio, TJ . "MWSS to tap Laiban Dam as new source of Metro Manila water." Haribon. 15/Oct/2007. Haribon Foundation. 22 Feb 2009 <http://www.haribon.org.ph/?q=node/view/496>.
Burgonio, TJ . "MWSS to tap Laiban Dam as new source of Metro Manila water." Haribon. 15/Oct/2007. Haribon Foundation. 22 Feb 2009 <http://www.haribon.org.ph/?q=node/view/496>.
Burgonio, TJ . "MWSS to tap Laiban Dam as new source of Metro Manila water." Haribon. 15/Oct/2007. Haribon Foundation. 22 Feb 2009 <http://www.haribon.org.ph/?q=node/view/496>.
Burgonio, TJ . "MWSS to tap Laiban Dam as new source of Metro Manila water." Haribon. 15/Oct/2007. Haribon Foundation. 22 Feb 2009 <http://www.haribon.org.ph/?q=node/view/496>.
Burgonio, TJ . "MWSS to tap Laiban Dam as new source of Metro Manila water." Haribon. 15/Oct/2007. Haribon Foundation. 22 Feb 2009 <http://www.haribon.org.ph/?q=node/view/496>.
Burgonio, TJ . "MWSS to tap Laiban Dam as new source of Metro Manila water." Haribon. 15/Oct/2007. Haribon Foundation. 22 Feb 2009 <http://www.haribon.org.ph/?q=node/view/496>.
MWSS, "Laiban Project." Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System. MWSS. 22 Feb 2009 <http://mwss.gov.ph/projects.php?id=11>.
MWSS, "Laiban Project." Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System. MWSS. 22 Feb 2009 <http://mwss.gov.ph/projects.php?id=11>.
Burgonio, TJ . "MWSS to tap Laiban Dam as new source of Metro Manila water." Haribon. 15/Oct/2007. Haribon Foundation. 22 Feb 2009 <http://www.haribon.org.ph/?q=node/view/496>.
MWSS, " Angat Water Utilization and Aqueduct Improvement Project (AWUAIP)." Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System. MWSS. 22 Feb 2009 <http://mwss.gov.ph/projects.php?id=10>.
MWSS, " Angat Water Utilization and Aqueduct Improvement Project (AWUAIP)." Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System. MWSS. 22 Feb 2009 <http://mwss.gov.ph/projects.php?id=10>.
MWSS, " Angat Water Utilization and Aqueduct Improvement Project (AWUAIP)." Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System. MWSS. 22 Feb 2009 <http://mwss.gov.ph/projects.php?id=10>.