Manila Water, Maynilad: ‘Enough supply’ amid coronavirus scare

Ralf Rivas

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Manila Water, Maynilad: ‘Enough supply’ amid coronavirus scare
While Manila Water and Maynilad say there is sufficient supply, they again remind the public to use water responsibly

MANILA, Philippines – The summer heat and the spread of the novel coronavirus are likely to increase water consumption in the coming weeks.

Moreover, the National Water Resources Board has kept raw water allocation for concessionaires at limited levels until April to preserve the water supply of the Angat Dam.

Despite these, Metro Manila concessionaires Manila Water and Maynilad Water Services assured customers that there is sufficient supply.

In a text message to Rappler, Maynilad said it has been implementing the following measures to cushion the impact of the reduced allocation:

  • Getting additional raw water from Laguna Lake through two treatment plants in Muntinlupa City that now produce 300 million liters per day
  • Sustained pipe replacement and leak repairs
  • Cloud seeding in partnership with the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration
  • Reactivation of several deep wells
  • Tapping small rivers in Cavite using modular treatment plants

Manila Water said its supply outlook is “better this year compared to last year,” as it has put in place several augmentation measures.

Manila Water has been implementing service interruptions since 2019, but only at reduced pressure at nighttime until recently.

“We do assure our customers in the East Zone that water is still available during daytime, so we have safe, clean water to use for hygiene in the face of the COVID-19 concerns. We will proceed with operational adjustments which may result to no water but only at nighttime, except for emergency leak repairs at daytime,” Manila Water said.

We still encourage the public to use water responsibly and wisely to help preserve the level of the dams,” the company added.

On Monday, March 9, President Rodrigo Duterte once again warned of a government takeover of Metro Manila’s water sector, should it experience another crisis amid the coronavirus scare.

“I’m warning you, I will industrialize the water industry and government will do the construction and we will force the issue,” Duterte said.

The government is currently reviewing the concession agreements of Manila Water and Maynilad over supposedly onerous provisions. – Rappler.com

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Ralf Rivas

A sociologist by heart, a journalist by profession. Ralf is Rappler's business reporter, covering macroeconomy, government finance, companies, and agriculture.