West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (Maynilad) tapped the services of international weather intelligence provider MetraWeather to enhance its forecast and climate data analysis, which will allow for quicker response to weather disturbances that may affect water service.
The site-specific forecasts of Metraweather on rainfall patterns, wind direction, and temperature in vital watersheds will yield valuable advance information on weather trends that could impact Maynilad operations, such as sudden increases in the turbidity level of raw water at Ipo Dam.
This will enable the company to implement quick interventions that will mitigate the effect of high turbidity on its service to customers.
“Climate change has led to drastic shifts in rainfall patterns, which affect the quality of raw water supply. Given this, we have to keep stepping up our interventions so that water service can be sustained despite inclement weather. It all starts with getting more in-depth data on the status of our watersheds,” said Maynilad Chief Operating Officer Randolph T. Estrellado. To get quality weather data for analyses, MetraWeather installed automated weather stations (AWS) in several strategic locations at the Angat, Ipo, La Mesa, and Laguna Lake watersheds.
The AWS will allow for continuous calibration and validation of existing weather models, thus improving the accuracy of weather forecasts.
Maynilad also commissioned MetraWeather to reanalyze historical weather data since 2010, providing a climate outlook that will help the company to create immediate, short-term, and long-term programs to meet changing water demands.
Maynilad is the largest private water concessionaire in the Philippines in terms of customer base.
It is the concessionaire of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) for the West Zone of the Greater Manila Area, which is composed of the cities of Manila (certain portions), Quezon City (certain portions), Makati (west of South Super Highway), Caloocan, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Valenzuela, Navotas and, Malabon, all in Metro Manila; the cities of Cavite, Bacoor and Imus, and the towns of Kawit, Noveleta, and Rosario, all in Cavite Province.