Water interruption due to maintenance, Manila Water clears
The Manila Water clarified to the public on Friday, July 14, that the water service interruptions being conducted by the company are not the result of the decreased allocation from the Angat Dam but due to its regular and preventive maintenance activities.
*(File photo by MANILA BULLETIN)
* Manila Water Spokesperson Jeric Sevilla said the east zone concessionaire remains capable of providing 24/7 water supply to its concession area including Rizal province. He denied rumors that the water service interruption being experienced by its customers has something to do with the reduced allocation for this month. Last week, the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) had announced that it would reduce the water allocation for Manila Water from 50 cubic meters per second (CMS) to the benchmark allocation of 48 CMS for July as the water level of Angat Dam continues to drop day by day. But Sevilla noted that the company has several augmentation projects that will help them to provide uninterrupted service to their customers. He explained that aside from Angat Dam, the company has other treatment plants that it can turn to once the allocation they get from Angat Dam further decreases. In Laguna Lake, Manila Water has the Cardona Water Treatment Plant that can produce up to 110 million liters per day (MLD), the Marikina Portable Treatment Plant that can produce 15 MLD, the Calawis Treatment Plant in Antipolo City that can provide 30 to 80 MLD. Manila Water also has deep wells that can provide 110 MLD as well, Sevilla shared. “Lahat po ito ay nakakasa na, para po kung kinakailangan natin ng karagdagang supply ng tubig para mapanatili ang 24/7 na serbisyo, gagamitin na po natin lahat ito. (All of these are ready to be used if we need additional water supply to make sure that our service is available 24/7, we will use all of them),” Sevilla explained. He added that their non-revenue water (NRW), or the water that is lost through leaks or illegal connections before it reaches the consumers, is only at 13 to 14 percent. The Manila Water official assured that water service interruption will be the “last resort” of the company if the allocation from Angat Dam further decreases. (Nicole Magmanlac)