11-7-2023 (MANILA) Beginning Wednesday, over half a million households in the concession area of Maynilad Water Services Inc., a water distributor, will face service interruptions lasting up to 11 hours due to the declining water level at Angat Dam, exacerbated by the El Niño weather phenomenon.
Maynilad’s water supply operations head, Ronald Padua, explained that approximately 591,000 customers in Caloocan, Navotas, Malabon, Valenzuela, Manila, and Quezon cities will experience water cuts from 7 p.m. to 4 a.m. Some areas in Caloocan, Malabon, and Quezon City will have their service interruptions extended until 6 a.m. due to their distance from Angat Dam.
Padua assured customers that the water service interruptions were scheduled during nighttime to minimize inconvenience and that services would resume on time. However, he could not provide an estimate of the duration of the interruptions as it largely depends on rainfall in the Ipo watershed.
The water level in Angat Dam dropped further to 179.26 meters on Monday, below the minimum operating level of 180 meters required for 24/7 water services. Angat Dam currently supplies 98 percent of potable water in Metro Manila through the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS).
Angat Dam’s water flows to the La Mesa and Ipo dams, which deliver raw water to the treatment plants of Maynilad and Manila Water Co. Inc. Maynilad receives the majority of Angat’s allocation, with 2,600 million liters per day (MLD), serving 9.5 million customers compared to Manila Water’s 7.6 million.
The water shortage is due to the National Water Resources Board’s decision to reduce supply allocation to the MWSS from 52 cubic meters per second (CMS) to 48 CMS, allowing Angat Dam to recover. As a result, Maynilad is implementing these interruptions to address the supply gap.
Maynilad is also expecting an additional supply of around 62 MLD from its water loss reduction efforts later in the year when El Niño is expected to peak. The company is reactivating deep wells and has planned other projects to bolster supply.
Padua explained that only the Maynilad concession area is affected by the lower allocation as cities in the west zone are closer to Manila Bay, which has poor water quality unsuitable for augmenting the dwindling supply. He acknowledged that the company inherited old water networks that require repairs, with 66 percent already replaced.
Despite the challenges, Padua remained optimistic, hoping that rainfall will increase in the Angat and Ipo watersheds to reduce the number of days requiring water service interruptions.
In response to the water shortage, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has instructed the Water Resources Management Office, an agency under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, to present recommendations this week to mitigate the impact of the El Niño phenomenon. The government is coordinating efforts across multiple departments to address the impending water shortage.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III urged President Marcos to discuss concrete long-term plans to address recurring water shortages in his upcoming State of the Nation Address. Pimentel also called on the public to conserve water and electricity during this critical period, emphasizing the far-reaching consequences on various sectors of the economy caused by water shortages and El Niño.
