By Butch Fernandez & Jonathan L. Mayuga
THE Senate Committee on Public Services, flexing oversight powers covering State-granted franchises, will open an inquiry on Tuesday amid a “gripping water supply crisis” affecting Metro Manila and Rizal Province, summoning officials of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS).
Chaired by Sen. Grace Poe, the committee also sent out invitations to get testimonies from officers of private concessionaires Manila Water—supplying Rizal province and parts of Metro Manila’s East Zone—and Maynilad, which supplies the Metropolis’s West Zone.
The Senate hearing is expected to assess the impact of “the water crisis gripping the country, which particularly affects parts of Metro Manila and Rizal province, and several farming communities in the provinces.”
Poe said on Wednesday, “We will call for the hearing as part of the committee’s oversight functions over the country’s utilities,” as she voiced concern that “what we are seeing now is not normal and something that our households and farmers do not deserve.”
Poe added: “Ipapatawag natin ang hearing na ito dahil ang sambayanang walang tubig, walang mainom, walang paligo ay uhaw na uhaw sa katotohahan [We will call this hearing because the people who have no water to drink or shower with are thirsty for the truth].”
The senator said officials of concerned agencies, heads of water concessionaires, regulators and other concerned stakeholders are expected “to discuss the crisis and come up with solutions to ease the impact of the supply shortage.”
Poe stressed the importance of having such officials at the hearing “so that together, we can come up with immediate short- and long-term solutions to avert the current water crisis.”
She also cited “need to hear the current mitigating measures planned by the agencies, such as the Department of Agriculture, given the importance of our agricultural sector to the economy.”
Poe had earlier voiced serious concern over the looming water crisis that is expected to be aggravated by the impact of El Niño.
At the same time, Senator Poe stressed the need to
“rationalize the economic as well as administrative regulation” of water
utilities through an independent,
quasi-judicial body.
What caused water shortage?
THE unusually huge demand for water because of El Niño and the limited allocation for Manila Water Co. Inc. are behind the current supply shortage being experienced by water consumers within its concession area, Manila Water Co.Inc. had explained earlier.
The weak El Niño has a double-bladed effect—increasing the demand for water by consumers and depriving dams of much-needed rainwater, the company said. River systems that drain to dams also dry up faster.
Manila Water COO Geodino Carpio, explaining over CNN Philippines the current predicament of Manila Water’s customers, said the company has had to experience “supply shortage” by an average of 140 million litres per Day (MLD) per day since 2016.
Manila Water’s allocation from Angat is 1,600 MLD while the demand of its consumers over the years said Carpio, has been increasing over the years and it has peaked to 1,740 MLD. This means a supply shortage of 140 MLD.
Also, he said the installed aqueduct from Angat to Ipo Dam, and Ipo Dam to La Mesa Dam has limitations, which means there’s a need to enlarge its capacity because even if the National Water Resource Board (NWRB) were to allow Manila Water to draw down a higher water allocation, the limited capacity of the aqueduct will constrict the flow of supply.
Hopefully, Carpio said, by September next year, with ongoing projects to boost water supply distribution, there will be more water from Angat, preventing supply shortage.
“By September next year, there will be more water from Angat, if the NWRB allows it,” he added.
Nonrevenue water
According to Carpio, Manila Water was able to cope with the supply shortage from Angat by reducing its Nonrevenue Water.
“In 1997, our system loss was about 63 percent. It means for every 100 liters we get, 63 liters are lost. Mas malaki ang tapon [The volume of wastage is bigger]. Today, we have 10 to 12 percent NRW. Worldwide, the acceptable standard is 20 to 25 percent. We are better than world-class standards in terms of controlling system losses,” he said.
However, he said the company can only save water from NRW by so much. “We can only save water so much. Any more than 12 percent…. The more our water saving increases, it means the cost also increases,” he said in mixed Filipino and English.
“We are overly producing more than 1,600 MLD. Sometime in February, we were averaging 1,740 MLD per day production. But we are receiving 1,600 MLD per day. There are also peaks. During Saturdays, for example, in Montalban, many households are doing laundry, hence, the consumption is high. During Pacquiao fights, during breaks, the water consumption goes up,” he quipped.
“The reality is, if we are getting 1,600 MLD from Angat and the demand is 1,740, that means, we are getting water from La Mesa. This means La Mesa water level will go down. This has been happening since 2016. But we are lucky [that] from July to October, La Mesa gets filled up. During summer, it will start peaking. June, July, it rises again and then returns to normal level,” he explained.
According to Carpio, the bigger the demand, the more the water at La Mesa Dam is depleted.
“It happened in December 2018. [We were never able to return to normal] and it peaked now. So far, we are hoping for water in La Mesa to recover by the onset of the rainy season,” he said.
According to Carpio, Manila Water is currently boosting supply from Laguna de Bay, and is stepping up deep well projects to get water from other sources, while waiting for the Kaliwa Dam Project.
“We constructed a plant to draw water from Laguna de Bay until the Kaliwa Water Source is constructed. But that will be energized to produce 100 MLD a day and another 50 MLD sometime in August. But really, we are catching up. Kaliwa Dam is delayed and [MWSS Administrator] Reynaldo Velasco has put it back on track. We saw it coming,” he said.
Image credits: Roy Domingo