Sufficient water for dry months assured
Manila Water said that this will be achieved through sustainable solutions, innovative facilities, and augmentation plans
Published Jun 10, 2023 02:10 pm
Angel Thoughts
“Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink “—Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Happy Independence Day for all of us Filipinos tomorrow. Rites will be centered in the Aguinaldo shrine in Kawit Cavite and at the Rizal monument in Manila. Let us all pray and thank the Lord for the freedom and independence that we enjoy now and for all the brave men and women who fought and died for it! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!
And on Sunday, Happy Father’s Day to all the daddies out there. Remembering my dad, Amado R. Munson and my hubby, the father of my four love fruits.
Here is good news for us water consumers who are dreading the coming drier, hotter months.
Metro Manila’s East Zone concessionaire is rising to the challenge of assuring its customers that it will continue to provide uninterrupted, 24/7 water services in this period of record-breaking temperature and heat wave, as part of its commitment to deliver world-class services tailored to the needs of the communities it serves.
Manila Water said that this will be achieved through sustainable solutions, innovative facilities, and augmentation plans.
President and CEO Jocot de Dios said, “We are prepared for this and ready to fulfill our obligations. We continue to put our plans into motion to support MWSS’ call for continuous supply in our concession area as we face challenging weather forecasts in the coming months.” A brave statement, right?
But if we are to believe Manila Water, it seems such a promise is in the right direction. In past interviews, de Dios explained the company has put in place its water supply contingency and augmentation plans while working and coordinating closely with the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) and the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) to help ensure that customers will experience continuous water supply even during peak demand periods.
These contingencies include the maximization of the 100 million-liter-per- day (MLD) capacity of the Cardona Water Treatment Plant, which draws water from the central portion of Laguna Lake; operation of standby deepwells which can provide additional 115 MLD, and operation of the 15- to-20-MLD Marikina Portable Water Treatment Plant, which will draw and can treat water from the Marikina River.
De Dios also affirmed that Manila Water continues to support and work with MWSS for the development and implementation of short- to long-term projects to ensure sustainability of future water supply which include the Calawis Antipolo Water Source System and the East Bay Water Supply Project which will source water from the eastern flank of Laguna Lake.
Other projects being eyed as medium- to long-term water sources aside from harnessing Laguna Lake include the New Wawa Dam Project in Rizal Province, the Kaliwa Dam Project and the Kaliwa River Project which will harness water from Kaliwa River downstream of Quezon Province.
The company also noted that the MWSS project for the construction of the new 15-kilometers aqueduct and 6.4- kilometer tunnel has been completed which will ensure 1,600 MLD to flow towards La Mesa Dam, optimizing the flow of excess water from Ipo to La Mesa Dam.
Going above and beyond its mandate, Manila Water is also said to focus on rolling out its service improvement plan that highlights four sustainability pillars necessary to ensure the viability of the environment which sustains the water cycle, and on which the company establishes its long-term viability.
These pillars are Water Security to ensure adequacy of water resources for current and future customers, Service Accessibility to expand service coverage to more communities in the East Zone, Service Continuity to ensure that customers continue to receive high-quality service even in the event of natural or even man-made calamities, and Environmental Sustainability to safeguard the sustainability of the environment that supports the East Zone through various wastewater programs.
To fulfill its plans, Manila Water clarified that it maintains a significant level of its capital expenditure (CAPEX) for both its water and wastewater projects in the next five years. The focus of these P95-billion worth of CAPEX projects remains to be water supply security, service continuity, and wastewater coverage expansion.
Let’s see where these plans will go, if it will be fulfilled or not, if it will flow smoothly as planned or as dry as the weather? We remain hopeful, of course.