Water faucet/ Water supply stock image. INQUIRER FILES
MANILA, Philippines — East Zone concessionaire Manila Water Co. Inc. on Monday assured its customers of continuous supply this Holy Week, even as its West Zone counterpart Maynilad Water Services Inc. warned of declining water supply in the La Mesa and Ipo dams.
In anticipation of high demand in the dry season, Manila Water said it had been executing contingency and augmentation projects to ensure uninterrupted services as part of its P181-billion Service Improvement Plan.
According to the concessionaire, it has been utilizing its Cardona Water Treatment Plant in Rizal province, which draws water from Laguna Lake, to treat up to 100 million liters per day (MLD) and provide clean and potable water.
Both Manila Water and Maynilad source the majority of their supply from Angat Dam.
As of Thursday, the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) said the elevation at Angat was at 202.56 meters, which was still within the normal level.
Maynilad confirmed, however, that leaks and illegal connections were found in the portals between Ipo Dam in Bulacan province and La Mesa Dam in Quezon City.
This led to less supply flowing into the Novaliches Portal shared by Manila Water and Maynilad, prompting prolonged service interruptions in the latter’s concession area.
Not enough for Maynilad
Water loss and the impending El Niño phenomenon encouraged the National Water Resources Board to grant an additional capacity of 50 cubic meters per second (CMS)—2 CMS higher than the usual 48 CMS—coming from Angat from April 1 to April 15.
But Maynilad noted that this may not be enough to supply its 9.5 million customers, as the MWSS previously asked for 52 CMS of additional capacity.
“At 50 CMS from Angat, water reaching the portal should be at 4,000 MLD. But we have not been receiving this amount, so this means there are losses,” Jennifer Rufo, Maynilad head of corporate communications, told the Inquirer in an interview.
Once the 4,000 MLD supply from Angat reaches the Novaliches Portal in Quezon City, Maynilad gets 60 percent of the share at 2,400 MLD, while Manila Water gets 40 percent at 1,600 MLD.
The alleged supply anomaly triggered a cross-portal sharing agreement between the two major water concessionaires that began in the fourth quarter of 2022.