The Muntinlupa City Council will conduct a public hearing to investigate Maynilad on the severe water supply interruption being implemented that has affected thousands of households and businesses in the city.
Maynilad extended the water supply interruption to Feb. 15 instead of Jan. 20 that it earlier announced.
Households in Muntinlupa have experienced up to 18 hours without water service while other areas have no water supply for days.
According to the Muntinlupa City government, councilors are asking that people from Maynilad involved in the operation of water service should be the one to attend and not just any representative who cannot make a decision or explanation about the matter.
Among the topics to be discussed are asking Maynilad to deploy more water tankers to supply to different communities and payment holiday on the days without any water supply.
City Council Majority Floor Leader Raul Corro told Manila Bulletin that they are just awaiting the notice of public hearing from the City Council secretary and chairman of the committee concerned on the date of the public hearing.
Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) Regulatory Office announced that it is conducting an investigation on Maynilad’s prolonged implementation of water service interruptions at its Putatan Water Treatment Plants (PWTPs) in Muntinlupa.
It said the investigation is being held to know whether there is a ground to declare Maynilad to have failed contractually on its service obligations, and to impose the appropriate penalties on the company.
According to MWSS RO, with the corrective actions and long term solutions being taken at the PWTP since the second quarter of 2021, it is expecting the PWTP to be operating at its maximum design of 300 million liters per day, and Maynilad to be complying with its service obligation of providing all customers with an uninterrupted supply of potable water at 7 pounds per square inch (psi) minimum pressure.
It said the unusual large number and duration of the announced WSIs have greatly inconvenienced customers within the coverage area of the PWTP in Muntinlupa, Las Piñas, Paranaque, Pasay, Bacoor, Imus, and Cavite, and the municipalities of Noveleta and Rosario.
“On 11 January 2022, the MWSS RO served a Notice to Explain to Maynilad for WSIs at its PWTP’s supply zone from 6 to 22 December 2021, and from 27 December 2021 to 15 January 2022. On 21 January, following Maynilad’s announcement of WSIs that will last until 15 February, the MWSS RO once again issued a notice to the Concessionaire to provide explanation on the reasons behind its extended WSIs, the persisting issues in its PWTP, and its concrete plan of action to remedy this continuing situation,” according to MWSS RO chief regulator Patrick Lester Ty.
The MWSS RO also told Maynilad to “to implement mitigating measures to alleviate the impact of the WSIs; utilize all accessible online and offline communication channels to effectively inform and update customers on the list of affected areas, schedules, and other pertinent details of the WSIs prior to implementation; ensure strict adherence to its announced WSI schedules, water tankering schedules, and static tank locations; and immediately address inquiries or concerns on social media, website, hotline, or email regarding the WSIs.”
During a recent online briefing held by Muntinlupa Rep. Ruffy Biazon, a Maynilad representative said 70 percent of its customers in Muntinlupa have been affected by the water supply interruption.