Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Water service concessionaires Maynilad and Manila Water on Tuesday (September 1) announced that they will carry out water interruptions lasting for more than 12 hours which could start next week, affecting 355,500 households.
Both concessionaires and the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) agreed to reduce the water allocation for Metro Manila from 41 cubic meters per second (cms) in August to 38 cms this month to preserve the remaining water at Angat Dam.
This is in preparation for the severe El Niño which will radically reduce the amount of rainfall coming in the country.
Angat Dam provides 97 percent of the water supply in Metro Manila.
Based on the forecast by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the severe El Niño will persist until February next year and may even extend up to June.
Because of this, the NWRB and the concessionaires agreed to limit Metro Manila’s water supply until June next year to make sure that all households will have water every day even for a limited time only.
“That’s really to ensure na may adequate supply next year, do some controlled releases now para maitawid natin yung supply ng tubig, particularly during the stronger impact of El Niño,” NWRB Executive Director Sevillo David said.
Officials also assured the public that there are measures to minimize the effect of El Niño, such as cloud seeding operations and activation of deep wells.
Affected areas
Areas that will be affected for Maynilad include parts of north Caloocan, Quezon City, Parañaque, Cavite, and Valenzuela equivalent to 18 percent of the company’s total customers. These areas could expect over 12 hours of water interruption.
For Manila Water, nine percent of its consumers will be affected by 12 hour water interruptions. Water supply will be interrupted in several barangays in Quezon City, Taguig, Pasig, and Marikina in Metro Manila. Antipolo City and Rodriguez in Rizal will also experience water interruptions.
Meanwhile, the rest of the service areas will experience reduced water pressure.
Based on the water allocation forecast shown to media during the press briefing on Tuesday morning, the possible lowest allocation for Metro Manila during the El Niño period is 34 to 35 meters per second which may happen from December up to June next year.
This means there may be more areas affected by water interruptions and longer hours of water supply cuts.
Because of the situation, farmers relying on Angat Dam for irrigation particularly those in Bulacan and Pampanga will not receive water supply until next year.
Here is the full list of barangays that will be affected by Maynilad service interruptions:
