The Muntinlupa City Council has set the public hearing to investigate Maynilad Water Services’ prolonged water service interruption that has severely affected customers in Muntinlupa and other cities and municipalities.

The City Council’s Committee on Environment will hold the hearing at 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 8 focusing on Maynilad’s “prolonged schedule of water interruption, quality of water being distributed to its customers, and review of its concession franchise.”

Maynilad customers in Muntinlupa started experiencing the water supply interruption last December.

The company said it reduced production at its Putatan Water Treatment Plants in Barangay Putatan, Muntinlupa due to algae problems and turbidity of raw water coming from the Laguna Lake.

In an earlier advisory, Maynilad said the water interruption would only be until Jan. 20 but extended it to Feb. 15.

In a recent advisory, Maynilad told customers that the water interruption will be from 7 a.m. to midnight from Jan. 20 to Feb. 15 or 17 hours a day.

Irate customers slammed Maynilad for the time of the water interruption, complaining that they need to stay up late just to be able to store water.

The severe water interruptions have prompted the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System Regulatory Office (MWSS-RO) to investigate Maynilad.

A Maynilad representative told a briefing held by Muntinlupa Rep. Ruffy Biazon last month that 70 percent of the company’s customers in Muntinlupa were affected by the water service interruptions.

“The investigation is being conducted primarily to determine whether there is a ground to declare Maynilad to have failed contractually on its service obligations, and to impose the appropriate penalties on the Concessionaire,” according to MWSS-RO chief regulator Patrick Lester Ty

He added, “Considering the corrective actions and long term solutions being taken at the PWTP since the second (2nd) quarter of 2021, the MWSS RO is expecting the PWTP to be operating at its maximum design of 300MLD, 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.”

“The unusual large number and duration of the announced WSIs have greatly inconvenienced customers within the coverage area of the PWTP in the Cities of Muntinlupa, Las Piñas, Paranaque, Pasay, Bacoor, Imus, and Cavite, and the Municipalities of Noveleta and Rosario,” he said.

Last Jan. 11, the MWSS-RO served a Notice to Explain to Maynilad for WSIs at its PWTP’s supply zone from Dec. 6 to 22 and from Dec. 27 to Jan. 15.

After Maynilad announced that the WSI will last until Feb. 15, the MWSS-RO issued a notice to Maynilad to explain.

“The agency also directed the Concessionaire 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,” said Ty.