MEDIUM RARE

Save water, not now but yesterday. “We know the worth of water when the well is dry,” according to Poor Richard’s Almanack (18th century). We knew our well was drying up even before El Niño could bear down on our fields and farms, on our cities, dams and reservoirs. We knew how Maynilad subscribers were ready to store water in pots and pans, drums and barrels because they had been forewarned about nine-hour service interruptions. We knew we could count on our meteorologists’ forecast of a long dry spell, especially after the World Meteorological Organization reported record-breaking temperatures “on land and in the oceans” from the beginning of July and extending into 2024. It was a bit late for MWSS and the National Water Resources Board (pronounced Bored) to advise us to conserve water now. They shoulda warned us before Angat’s water level started dipping; they coulda prepared us before summer came traipsing in; if only they woulda done their work differently, i.e., take one step ahead of PAGASA. After all, they’re paid to anticipate the supply of water for irrigation and household consumption, not to look at pictures of Angat or rely on weather and climate forecasts, all of which we who pay their salaries are already used to doing on our own, without their help. We’re happy with the dam keepers (GMA carries daily reports of the water levels in our reservoirs), with the professional weather watchers and headline writers. What should we expect from those government agencies whose names are anchored on the magic word WATER? Water? As a taxpayer, I’d like to know. Based on my experience as a subscriber to one of the two “water concessionaires” in Metro Manila, it’s Maynilad and Manila Water that provide the service and the water to their customers. What’s the mandate of MWSS and NWRB, then? What are their plans, if any, to make distribution less of an iffy thing? What’s their penalty for underperforming? What do we paying customers need to do to keep them from getting bored just staring at pictures of Angat dam and listening to PAGASA’s forecasts? When Maynilad was forced to resort to long hours of interrupted service, could its subscribers have taken their case before either agency?