The dry season in the Philippines will most certainly be felt as water concessionaire Maynilad said that water interruptions will prevail for the entire “summer” as they prepare for the El Niño phenomenon.
According to Maynilad, households in major parts of Metro Manila and Cavite will have low water pressure or at times no water.
Maynilad said the water interruption, will start on March 29, 2023, will affect portions of Manila, Quezon City, Valenzuela, Malabon, Caloocan, Navotas, Las Piñas, Parañaque, Makati, and Pasay.
The said water interruption will affect more than one million households.
It will also affect residents in Bacoor City; Cavite City; Imus City; Kawit, Cavite; and Rosario, Cavite.
The water interruptions will last for 14 hours everyday.
Maynilad said that while the water level in Angat Dam remains at a “comfortable” level of 203.29 meters, which is above the 180 meters minimum operating level, they are still preparing since the El Nino phenomenon will mean that refilling the dam with water would be hard.
Maynila Corporate Affairs and Communications Chief Jennifer Rufo said that they are hoping to avoid the 2019 incident where the water level went down way below the normal level.
“We want to make sure that (the water) will not be depleted as time goes by because we know there will be scarce rain, so it’s like a conservation measure,” Rufo said in a mix of Filipino and English.
The company said they need to adapt measure to ensure a continuous water supply.
“[The water interruption is] part of a measure to preserve our limited stored water, given the increased likelihood of an El Niño phenomenon happening by the latter half of 2023,” said Maynilad.
“While the elevation in Angat Dam, which provides 90% of the raw water supply for the West Zone, is still at a healthy level as of mid-March, sufficient rains are not expected to fall over the watersheds in the succeeding months to replenish the dams,” Maynilad added.
“These daily service interruptions will last depending on the actual raw water volume that our treatment plants will receive, as well as on actual rainfalls that will occur at the watersheds,” Maynilad said.
“We advise our customers to keep enough water stored for your needs during the hours when supply will not be available. Please keep stored water in clean, covered containers,” they he added.
Catherine R. Cueto
