MANILA – The Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (Maynilad) on Wednesday said there will be longer daily water interruption starting April 1.
Maynilad started implementing daily water interruptions on March 28 to preserve the remaining supply in the Angat-Ipo system with the impending El Niño when less rainfall will arrive to replenish the dams.
“We met with the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) and Manila Water this morning, March 29, 2023, to discuss the situation. And while the cross-portal sharing will no longer be extended, the MWSS is sending a letter request to the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) for an increased allocation of 52 CMS (cubic meters per second) from April to May 2023 so that both Ipo and La Mesa Dams can fully recover and more raw water is conveyed to the Novaliches Portal,” Maynilad said in a statement on Wednesday.
“This development will mean less supply for Maynilad to distribute, resulting in longer daily service interruption schedules starting April 1,” it added.
Before the implementation of the water interruptions, Maynilad has been augmenting supplies through a “cross-portal” arrangement with Manila Water, because less water has been reaching the Novaliches Portal in Quezon City.
However, the water elevation at the La Mesa Dam has been dropping in recent weeks, forcing Manila Water to gradually suspend the cross-portal supply sharing.
With a higher raw water allocation, Manila Water would be more comfortable with sustaining the cross-portal sharing arrangement with Maynilad.
It will also increase the volume of raw water that reaches Maynilad’s treatment plants, enabling the company to suspend the daily service interruptions that are currently in place.
Meanwhile, Maynilad is facilitating its supply augmentation measures to help mitigate the supply shortage.
This includes the sustained reduction of non-revenue water, which involves the repair of pipe leaks and the replacement of old pipes to recover more supply.
“Together with Manila Water and MWSS, we are also pursuing massive leak repair activities at the conveyance system—from Bigti to La Mesa Dam—to arrest losses in the Aqueducts and improve raw water flow to the Novaliches Portal,” Maynilad said. (PNA)
