Water allocation for Metro Manila and its environs has been reduced from 40 cubic meters per second to 36 CMS as the water level at Angat Dam continues to plunge, the National Water Resources Board announced Saturday.
Jeric Sevilla Jr., a spokesperson of Manila Water, one of the concessionaires of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, said the company had been constrained to adopt rotation of water to its customers for the entire East Zone at an average of 12 to 17 hours per day.
The additional four CMS reduction translates to a deficiency of 350 million liters per day (MLD), equivalent to the daily water consumption of almost 700,000 people.
Sevilla said water level at Angat Dam had breached the critical 160-meter mark as of June 22.
While the latest schedule of water service interruptions is effective June 22, fine-tuning of operations may take around three days.
The rotational water service interruption is undertaken until a sustainable safe water level in the Angat Dam is achieved.
Sevilla said Manila Water would continue to provide regular updates regarding any changes to the schedule of rotational water supply in the East Zone.
Maynilad, on the other zone, said it was “constrained to implement new rotational water service interruptions, throughout our concession area to maximize the limited supply and ensure that all customers will have some water supply daily,” the company said in a statement.
In a statement, Maynilad said “Our customers in portions of Brgys. Bagbag (Callejon Compound), Bagong Silangan, Batasan Hills, Commonwealth, Holy Spirit, Nagkaisang Nayon, Payatas, San Bartolome, Sauyo, Talipapa and Ugong, Quezon City will have low pressure to no water supply daily, starting June 22 between 04:00 pm and 05:00 am (next day) until rains replenish the Angat Dam, and allocation for Maynilad is restored.”
Maynilad said customers should store water when available.
“We apologize for the inconvenience,” it said.
Maynilad customers in Cavite, meanwhile, will be most affected and may experience water service interruption lasting several hours, Jennifer Rufo, Maynilad corporate communications head, said in an interview, heard nationwide, on Dobol B sa News TV on Saturday.
NWRB director Sevillo David said the NWRB had yet to determine how much longer residents in Metro Manila would have to experience service interruptions due to the low water supply.
READ: Explain water cutoff, suppliers told
