MANILA – The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) on Tuesday raised the possibility of water interruptions in Metro Manila that will affect over 632,000 households amid the declining water level of Angat Dam.
In a public Laging Handa briefing, MWSS division manager Patrick Dizon said an inter-agency technical group meeting for the Angat Dam operation management will be held on Wednesday since the water level of the dam is nearing critical level, dropping to 181.83 meters as of July 4 and nearing the 180-meter minimum operating level.
Dizon said the worst-case scenario is that the customers of west zone water concessionaire Maynilad might experience off-peak interruptions of around 6 to 10 hours if the water elevation in the reservoir does not improve due to rainfall shortage.
Dizon, however, noted that there will be no water interruption from Manila Water, which provides water services to the eastern side of Metro Manila.
“Ang nakikita lang po natin na worst-case scenario just in case magkaroon po tayo ng low rainfall sa ating watershed ay magkakaroon po ng interruption dito sa ating mga areas ng Maynilad ano – Maynilad areas po around six to 10 hours po na interruption. So itong mga interruption na ito naman ay naka-focus po kapag gabi – around 10 or madaling araw kung saan po iyong demand ng water from our customers ay mababa (What we are seeing as worst-case scenario is that just in case there is low rainfall on our watershed then there would be possible interruptions in the areas serviced by Maynilad for around six to 10 hours. These interruptions are implemented during night time between 10 p.m. to dawn, wherein the water demand from our customers is low),” Dizon said.
Dizon said the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) implemented a two-cubic meters per second (CMS) cut in the water allocation for Maynilad and Manila Water in preparation for El Niño.
According to NWRB, the 50 cm allocation comes as a concerted effort to minimize water interruptions while MWSS continues its raw water recovery from its pipeline and conveyance system repairs, utilization of their water treatment plants and ensure water availability for El Niño.
NWRB said the approval of such water allocation is part of its management strategy, which aims to maintain adequate levels in the Angat Dam for the remainder of this year and into the next, in case El Niño still persists.
Dizon said the MWSS and water concessionaires are targeting to recover 100 million liters of water per day as an augmentation measure to boost supply by December.
Ana Liza Solis, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration Climate Monitoring chief, said there is at least a 56-percent probability that El Niño will be moderate to strong during the last quarter of the year and will persist until the first quarter of 2024. (PNA)