Mandaluyong water supply ‘slightly better’

The Mandaluyong City government said on Sunday that it would likely put on hold the declaration of a state of calamity in six villages hit by water shortages last week after noting a slight improvement in the situation.

Jimmy Isidro, chief of the Mandaluyong public information office, told the Inquirer that the local government had talked to barangay officials in affected areas in the past days, collating recommendations for endorsement today to the city council.

“But the water supply has improved a bit, so we probably won’t bring [the recommendations] to the council,” Isidro said.

The declaration of a state of calamity, which appeared to be a done deal as recently as Friday, would have allowed the six villages — Barangka Drive, Barangka Ibaba, Barangka Itaas, Barangka Ilaya, Hulo and Buayang Bato — to use calamity funds for securing additional resources aimed at easing the crisis.

Manila Water Co. Inc., which began implementing supply adjustment schemes due to plummeting water levels at La Mesa Dam, announced on Thursday that water had returned to Barangay Hulo.

No longer dry

The next day, it said Barangay Barangka Itaas had received water after eight consecutive days of dry taps.

Manila Water acknowledged, however, that its advisories might be inconsistent with the realities on the ground, particularly in residences located in higher areas or at the peripheries of their respective villages.

By Saturday, the concessionaire said the water supply of 80 percent of its customers throughout Metro Manila had been replenished. Isidro confirmed that each barangay in Mandaluyong City now had water, but added that some areas might still be experiencing prolonged interruptions.

“It’s OK if the supply is weak, as long as there’s a supply at all,” Isidro said.

He added that the local government was still planning on sitting in at a meeting between Manila Water and the Senate this week.

Mandaluyong was one of the cities hardest hit by the sudden water shortage in Metro Manila. For several days, thousands of residents across its villages were queuing for hours under the scorching heat with empty containers, waiting for the reprieve promised by volunteer fire trucks.

The city government had adopted policies aimed at alleviating the dire situation which included permitting barangay officials to access deep wells, and monitoring the prices of water and containers, which shot up early last week.

Coleen Joaquin, a Mandaluyong resident who owns a dental clinic in the city, said that while she had felt an improvement in the water supply, it was too little, too late.

“I have to accept the big loss in profit this month. I had to borrow money to pay for my rent and other bills to sustain the business,” she said on Sunday. “The damage has been done.”

Proposed executive order

Cabinet Secretary Karlos Nograles said on Sunday that a proposed executive order with long-term solutions to the Metro Manila water supply problem would be submitted soon to President Duterte “for his input and approval.”

Included in the order was a proposal to place the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) under the Office of the President.

The NWRB will be a “body that will be responsible for policy, direction-setting and the integration of all government efforts pertaining to water,” Nograles said. —With a report from Marlon Ramos