The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) celebrates Manila Water’s milestone in its landmark Novaliches-Balara Aqueduct 4 (NBAQ4) project as the tunnel-boring machine (TBM) being utilized for the project has already broken through at the La Mesa Reservoir, more than seven kilometers away from its entry shaft at Balara in Quezon City.
The P5.5 billion NBAQ4 project, one of the largest MWSS-led water supply infrastructure projects undertaken by Manila Water, entails the construction of a fourth aqueduct from the La Mesa Reservoir to the Balara Treatment Plants (BTP) 1 and 2 to improve the reliability and security of the raw water transmission system.
In a simple ceremony held recently to celebrate this milestone, workers and guests witnessed the exposure of the TBM cutter head from the soft concrete at the exit shaft. The TBM, used for the first time in Metro Manila for this project, has been laying the 7.30-kilometer long and 3.10-meter diameter NBAQ4 underneath Commonwealth Avenue, without impact to traffic since its launch on January 28, 2020. With the pipelaying complete, the TBM named “Dalisay” and its accessories will now be dismantled and the construction of intake tower, outlet tower, and downstream network system will now commence.
