Metro Manila residents, particularly those who live in villages and condominiums, were urged to use “tabo” as part of conservation efforts as the level of water continues to drop in Luzon dams.
In a memorandum, National Water Resources Board (NWRB) executive director Ricky Arzadon called on all village heads and condominium property managers to immediately institute water conservation efforts.
Meanwhile, Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma called on private employers to provide their workers with free and adequate drinking water and rest breaks to mitigate the effects of heat stress in the workplace.
Laguesma also recommended the use of temperature-appropriate uniforms and personal protective equipment and establishing procedures to address heat-related emergencies.
Arzadon, for his part, advised property managers to postpone maintenance work that requires replacing water in their swimming pools.
He also encouraged the use of pails and dippers in washing cars, cleaning driveways, watering lawns, and other similar activities.
The board had earlier announced it will slash water allocation for Metro Manila to 48 cubic meters (cms) per second from 50 cms starting mid-April as a mitigation measure.
The measures are intended to prevent the water level in Angat Dam to drop to 180 meters or lower which could result in rationing.
As this developed, employers were also urged, with the concurrence of workers, to adopt flexible work arrangements that allow work-hour adjustments while maintaining the total number of work hours within the day or week until the weather condition has improved.
On Friday, the state weather bureau declared the termination of the northeast monsoon or “Hanging Amihan” and the start of the summer season.
“Based on analysis, we officially declare the onset of the dry season,” Pagasa administrator Dr. Nathaniel Servando said.
The heat index may reach the danger level of 42 degrees to 51 degrees Celsius, while the extreme dangerous level will be at 52 degrees Celsius, said Dr. Marcelino Villafuerte II, head of Pag-asa’s
Climatology and Agrometeorology Division.