APO Agua Infrastructura Inc. (Apo Agua), project implementor of the Davao City Bulk Water Supply Project (DCBWSP), confirmed the death of its contractors worker due to suffocation during an on-site incident last April 21, 2023.
In a statement released on April 22, Apo Agua said the incident occurred while the workers, four of them, had difficulty breathing while conducting internal cleaning inside a pipeline along Barangay Buhangin Proper.
Responders from Davao City 911 and Barangay Buhangin Proper Community Emergency Response Team were able to rescue three of the workers but the remaining one was later retrieved by an emergency crew and brought to the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) where he was pronounced dead.
The other three workers were also brought to SPMC and are now in stable condition. They four workers were employed by DCBWSP's contractor WITCO Construction and Development Corporation.
We are cooperating with authorities to investigate the matter further as workplace safety is something we take very seriously, Apo Agua said.
The partial operations of the DCWBSP is set before April ends, covering the Tugbok area in Davao City. The full operations with a wider service area are expected to start in June.
During the regular session at the city council last April 18, Apo Agua said the remaining works for DCBWSP include flushing and disinfection of pipes and final water sampling.
What remains would be the disinfection of the 20-kilometer treated water pipeline that runs from our water treatment plant all the way to Tugbok. That means we would have to introduce highly-chlorinated water into the pipes to make sure it is ready to receive potable water, Apo Agua president Anna Lu said.