AUGMENTING SUPPLY. Manila Water announces that its deep wells, as seen in this undated photo, are producing up to 67 million liters per day. The company is steadily increasing its deep well activation to help maintain Angat Dam’s operating level and meet increased customer demand during summer. (Photo courtesy of Manila Water)
ANTIPOLO CITY – The reduction of Manila Water’s allocation by the National Water Resources Board (NWRB), which was originally scheduled on April 16, is being put off until May 1 amid better-than-expected water supply in reservoirs despite the El Niño dry spell.
Raymond Maymay, corporate communications manager at Manila Water, said the concessionaire’s current water allocation of 50 cubic meters per second will remain unchanged for another two weeks, ensuring that its customers in Metro Manila’s East Zone and parts of Rizal province will continue to enjoy good water pressure until then.
“We only found out about this today, but it appears that the reduction in water allocation is being deferred because the water levels of Angat (Dam) and La Mesa (Dam) remain at acceptable levels,” he said in an interview with Philippine News Agency on Thursday.
Maymay disclosed that as of 6 a.m. on Thursday, the water level at Angat Dam in Norzagaray, Bulacan stood at 195.51 meters, safely above its 180-meter safe operating level.
Meanwhile, the water level at La Mesa Dam in Quezon City was recorded on the same day at 75.78 meters, still above its 69-meter “critical level.”
Despite having sufficient water supply at the moment, Maymay said the water company is gradually increasing its activation of deep wells within its franchise area as a precautionary measure in case the drought drags on.
Presently, the water concessionaire is able to produce up to 67.06 million liters of water per day (MLD) from the 38 deep wells currently operating in its concession area.
This is a steady improvement over the 60.21 MLD the deep wells produced on March 15 but is still short of the 80 MLD the company is targeting this summer, he added.
In Rizal province, the company’s deep wells are currently producing some 12.93 MLD to provide running water to consumers.
Manila Water serves over 413,000 connections in Rizal, providing water to an estimated 2.8 million individuals.
“The company has been implementing measures to augment water supply and ease the strain on Angat Dam, especially as the country faces rising heat indices,” Maymay added. (PNA)
