Maynilad may resume water interruptions

MANILA, Philippines — Maynilad customers may once again experience water interruptions as water allocation to the concessionaire remained at 48 cubic meters per second (CMS) despite improvements in the level of Angat Dam, according to officials of the Maynilad Water Services Inc.

At a forum, Maynilad president and CEO Ramoncito Fernandez noted that despite the more than 20 meters increase of the water level of Angat Dam – which now sits at 199.92 meters – the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) has yet to adjust the water allocation for Maynilad and Manila Water.

“Before, Angat Dam released 52 CMS of water allocation to Metro Manila. Now, only 48 CMS are released. Definitely, if the water allocation is this low, we cannot supply all our customers,” Fernandez said, in reaction to an earlier interview of NWRB executive director Sevillo David Jr. saying that Angat’s current water level is enough to meet the requirements of Metro Manila for 60 days.

Fernandez added that the NWRB decision to still maintain the 48 CMS allocation is understandable in anticipation of the possible El Niño phenomenon.

Fernandez clarified though that affected customers will be fewer or between 500,000 and 600,000 households, compared to the previous 1.2 million customers affected by the water interruption in April.

In a separate interview with The STAR, Maynilad senior assistant vice president and corporate affairs and communication division head Marie Antonette de Ocampo said Maynilad and Metropolitan Manila Waterworks and Sewerage System officials will meet today to discuss the push for an increase in water allocation.

De Ocampo explained that of the current 48 CMS water allocation for Maynilad and Manila Water, three CMS are allotted to Bulacan.

“The 48 CMS from Angat will only be 45 CMS even without the losses. Ideally, Maynilad and Manila Water allocation should be 46 CMS to ensure enough supply for our customers,” she said, adding that Maynilad suspended water interruption after the water level of Ipo Dam in Bulacan improved because of the rains.

“There will be water interruption if our water allocation will stay at 48 CMS. We are still OK until the third week of August. Our water allocation was decreased to 48 CMS when the water level of Angat Dam reached 180 meters. The level is more than 199 now but our allocation is still 48 CMS, it’s the same,” De Ocampo added.

Fernandez assured that efforts are being made to improve the services of Maynilad, noting that the new management of Maynilad inherited more than 3,000 kilometers of old pipes.

“We inherited NRW (non-revenue water) or leaks to a staggering 68 percent, meaning for every liter of water being produced by Maynilad at that time, 68 percent was wasted due to leakage,” Fernandez explained.

According to Fernandez, from the 600,000 connections, Maynilad customers more than doubled to 1.5 million.

“Before, only 30 percent of customers received 24/7 service and today we are happy to say to you that more than 80 percent of our customers are receiving 24/7 service using the same water from Angat,” he noted.

As of 6 a.m. yesterday, the water level of Angat Dam increased by 0.10 meters compared to its previous level of 199.82 meters.