Water supply rotation in Metro begins July 12

MWSS turns to rain dance

MANILA, Philippines — West zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. has scheduled nighttime water service interruptions starting tomorrow to preserve water supply amid Angat Dam’s declining water level.

“Affected customers are advised to remember the service interruption schedule and to store water for their needs for hours of the day when supply will be unavailable. Mobile water tankers will be deployed as needed,” Maynilad said in an advisory on July 10.

Water service interruptions in Caloocan, Malabon, Valenzuela, Navotas, Quezon City and Manila will affect 591,000 customers, according to Maynilad supply operations head Ronaldo Padua.

The specific list of affected barangays is announced on Maynilad’s social media pages.

The daily service interruptions will be limited to the nighttime hours of 7 p.m. to 4 a.m., or 6 a.m. in some areas.

The service interruptions are being implemented after Angat Dam’s water level fell below its normal operating level of 180 meters.

Maynilad has yet to determine whether this service interruption will be extended and expanded in scope.

“We can’t answer until when this situation will end. We’re hoping there will be rains over the Ipo watershed to augment the water supply,” Padua said.

Rain dance

Dumagat tribe members will perform a rain dance at Angat Dam amid its declining water level.

“Last year (the indigenous group) also conducted a rain dance. The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System called this weather modification or specification program as we respect the connection of our fellow Dumagat with nature. This traditional ritual could help in managing our watershed,” MWSS division manager engineer Patrick Dizon said in a radio interview.

As of Monday morning, the water level of Angat Dam dropped to 179.23 meters or 0.33 meters less compared to its previous level of 179.56 meters.

Based on the National Water Resources Board (NWRB)’s projection, the water level of Angat Dam could reach between 176 and 177 meters.

“Based on the historical record, even if there is El Niño, by August or September we expect the water level of Angat Dam to increase,” Dizon said.

Maynilad Water Services Inc. has been instructed to ensure that the schedule of rotating water interruptions will be followed, he added.

“Maynilad should follow the announcement on water interruption and if possible, the nine hours interruption should be shortened. The interruption should not exceed 4 a.m.,” he said.

Dizon said Manila Water will provide 25 million liters daily to Maynilad.

“It may increase, depending on the arrangement between Maynilad and Manila Water. We may increase it to an additional 25 to 50 million liters,” he said.

Angat Dam supplies more than 90 percent of Metro Manila’s potable water needs and provides for the irrigation needs of 25,000 hectares of farmlands in Bulacan and Pampanga.

‘Alarming’

Meanwhile, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) hydrologist Rosalie Pagulayan said the drop in Angat Dam’s water level is “alarming.”  ?“The drop in the level of Angat Dam is very critical for Metro Manila… If there will be no rains to replenish the elevation, the downward trend is quite alarming,” Pagulayan said in a radio interview.

She added the water level will reach 176 meters if no rain will replenish the reservoir in the next nine days.

Pagulayan said that only three dams – Binga Dam in Benguet, Magat Dam in Isabela and Caliraya Dam in Laguna – registered a water level increase while the rest suffered further drops in water elevation.

The water levels of other dams – Ipo Dam in Bulacan, La Mesa Dam in Quezon City, Ambuklao Dam in Benguet, San Roque Dam in Pangasinan and Pantabangan Dam in Nueva Ecija – dropped.

NWRB executive director Sevillo David Jr. said they will further cut the 48 cubic meters per second (cms) water allocation for Maynilad and Manila Water if the water level of Angat continues to drop.

The 48 cms and 20 cms water allocation for the two water concessionaires and for irrigation, respectively, took effect on July 8 when Angat Dam’s water level fell below its normal operating level.

“We continue to monitor the water level (of Angat Dam) together with the MWSS and the National Irrigation Administration (NIA). If the water level continues to drop and no rains will come, we need to further adjust the water allocation to protect the current supply and prepare for the effect of El Niño at the end of the year,” David said.

“Based on our projection and PAGASA data, if we experience below-normal rains because of El Niño, we may not attain our target elevation of Angat before the year ends,” he added.

Tube wells mobilized

NIA’s Central Luzon office will mobilize 500 shallow tube wells as Angat Dam’s water level continues to drop.

NIA Central Luzon director Josephine Salazar told The STAR in a text message that through its different irrigation associations, the 500 shallow tube wells distributed last year to the region’s farmers will be mobilized.

They will also assist the irrigation associations with the fuel requirements for the shallow tube wells, and will make final assessments on the number of additional tube wells to be constructed.

Federation of Free Farmers national manager Raul Montemayor told The STAR in a text message that they are “not sure if shallow tube wells will be reliable under drought conditions because the underground water table may also dry up fast.”

“Pumps also need fuel and are relatively costly to operate. Some farmers reportedly spend as much as P30,000 per season to run their pumps. There are also water management technologies such as alternate drying and wetting, but I am not sure if this is doable in large irrigation systems where there are fixed schedules for the release of water,” Montemayor said.

He advised farmers to look at alternative crops that do not need a lot of water, such as corn and mongo.

4 SM Agri Multipurpose Cooperative chairman Simeon Sioson urged the government to conduct cloud-seeding operations to save rice crops in Central Luzon.

Regulate water use

San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora said the proposal to regulate the water usage of businesses in Metro Manila will depend on the decision of local government units (LGUs) in the National Capital Region.

“What are the establishments that consume huge amounts of water in their operations? These are the car wash, golf courses and swimming pool. Not all cities in Metro Manila have golf courses or hotels... It will now depend on the LGUs to pass ordinances for the regulation of establishments’ water usage,” Zamora said in an interview with GMA-7’s Unang Balita.

Zamora mentioned that San Juan City is setting up water catchment areas to store rainwater.

The water dousing tradition during the feast of Saint John the Baptist on June 24 was banned.

He urged LGUs and Metro Manila households to conserve and recycle water and collect rainwater.  — Ramon Efren Lazaro, Jose Rodel Clapano