Dry days loom as Angat Dam water level drops again

SUPPLY SHORTAGE Customers of the two water concessionaires should brace for service interruptions starting this week as Angat Dam’s water level dips. —NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, Philippines — Maynilad Water Services Inc. announced on Tuesday that it would bring back daily rotational service interruptions starting on Thursday, Oct. 24, as the water level at Angat Dam continued to fall.

Manila Water Co. Inc. also said there was a possibility it might take the same step beginning on Thursday.

“Since raw water allocation from Angat Dam for Metro Manila and adjacent provinces is still at the reduced level of 40 cubic meters per second (cms) — versus the normal allocation of 48 cms — the volume of raw water entering our treatment facilities is short by around 250 million liters per day (MLD),” Maynilad said in a statement.

In a separate statement, Manila Water said that service interruptions “might be necessary to ensure that the still limited water supply would last until next summer, and even the whole of 2020, in case the water level at Angat Dam would no longer reach the expected 212 meters (above sea level or masl) by the end of 2019.”

Responsible water users

The Ayala group subsidiary called on customers to “be responsible” in stocking up on water and to limit themselves to the amount they need.

The water level at Angat Dam went beyond 191 masl on Sept. 23, but since then, it has gone down, hitting 186.46 masl on Tuesday.

Based on announcements posted on its Facebook page, Manila Water customers may experience service interruptions of up to 10 hours.

Maynilad customers, on the other hand, could see their faucets running dry for as long as 16 hours.