WITH water supply coming from Angat Dam significantly reduced starting this month, contingency plans have been put in place to minimize its impact to close to 12 million people living in the National Capital Region (NCR).
A total of 900 barangays in the west zone of the Greater Manila Area are expected to feel the brunt of El Niño’s effects, according Maynilad Water Services Inc. (Maynilad) due to reduced water supply from Angat Dam.
The estimated 900 barangays to be affected represents 56 percent of Maynilad’s concenssion area, which include some portions of Manila, Quezon City and Makati City; Caloocan, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Valenzuela, Navotas and Malabon—all in Metro Manila; and the cities of Cavite, Bacoor and Imus, and the towns of Kawit, Noveleta and Rosario—all in Cavite Province.
Of the 900, 162 barangays will be severely affected, with water to the affected areas being served 12 hours a day from the usual 24-hour water service the company provides.
In a news statement, Maynilad said it is stepping up measures to mitigate El Niño’s impact.
Among Maynilad’s mitigating measures are system adjustments to manage the reduced supply, prompt repair of pipe leaks and extension of operating hours of pumping stations.
Maynilad said that the company is also ready to deploy its four portable water treatment plants to hard-to-reach areas, reactivate several deep wells, install stationary tanks, and send water tankers to severely affected areas.
The measures aim to manage the impact of a reduced water supply for Metro Manila after the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) reduced the Angat Dam supply allocation for Metro Manila from 41 cubic meters per second (cms) to 38 cms beginning this month.
According to Maynilad, to ensure that the limited supply will be maximized and that all affected customers will have some water at least at certain times of the day, Maynilad will be implementing rotating service interruptions.
The company will announce the date of the water-service interruptions two days before implementation to allow its would-be affected customers to take necessary measures, said Engr. Ronaldo Padua, head of Maynilad Water Supply Operations.
Maynilad is the biggest water-service provider in terms of customer base. In 2012 Maynilad’s customer base breached the 1 million mark, with 1,129,497 households composed of an estimated 8 million people.
According to Maynilad, the enhancement of the company’s operational efficiencies since the last El Niño in 2010 made the company better prepared for such extreme- weather event.
The company’s water-storage capacity has increased from 281 million liters to 561 MLD (million liters a day) with the construction of 11 new reservoirs in addition to its existing 14.
The company has also added 15 new pumping stations to its existing 11.
In addition Maynilad’s campaign to reduce water loss or nonrevenue water (NRW) has brought NRW in the west zone down from 53 percent in 2010 to 32 percent by June 2015. This translates to over 400 MLD of recovered water that the company can deliver to its customers.
Last week the NWRB appealed to the public to conserve water in light of the alarming situation of the water level in Angat Dam after the water level in the water reservoir remained at 186 meters, still way below the year-end target level of 212 meters.
East zone concessionaire Manila Water Corp., said it has put in place contingency plans to cushion the impact of El Niño to its 6.3 million customers. According to Manila Water, 9 percent of its customers, or about 125,500 households, stand to be affected by the reduced water supply.
Instead of 24-hour water service, affected areas will only have 12- hour water service.
Manila Water Officer in Charge for Corporate Strategic Affairs Group and also Corporate Communications Head Jeric Sevilla said the company continues to work closely with other member-agencies of the Interagency Technical Working Group on El Niño to prepare for the dry spell.
Sevilla said that part of the east zone concessionaire’s mitigation plans include the intensification of leak-repair programs; ensuring all equipment and facilities, such as treatment plants, pump stations and reservoirs, are operable to avoid downtime; reactivation of deep wells for possible supply augmentation; deployment of mobile treatment plants; and implementation of supply and pressure management schemes, in case needed.