At the height of the water shortage, about 30 barangays in Pasig City were affected, six of which were hardest hit. These included Oranbo, Kapitolyo, Pineda, Ugong, San Antonio, and Bagong Ilog, as these areas are located at the city’s highest terrain.
With more than 120,000 connections without water, the Pasig Command Center immediately came to the rescue and augmented Manila Water’s water delivery services by mobilizing the city’s fleet of 60 water tankers.
The command center dispatched water trucks which provided quick assistance to the largest hospitals in the city, namely Rizal Medical Center and Pasig City General Hospital.
The coordination and partnership were made possible through Pasig City Mayor Bobby Eusebio and Ritche Van Angeles, the head of the National Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Office; and Manila Water officials led by Melai Paraiso, area business manager of Pasig.
Plans were mapped out to determine the specific locations of the available hydrants, which will serve as the withdrawing and refilling points for water delivery.
“We are very willing to extend our support to Manila Water especially when it comes to the needs of the Pasigueños especially during these times,” said Eusebio.
NDRRMC head Ritche Van Angeles, on the other hand, expressed that the Pasig Command Center has always been ready to provide the much-needed assistance for the residents of Pasig in times of emergencies and calamities.
“We have been working closely with Manila Water at all times in monitoring the deployment of the water tankers to ensure that Pasigueños are served in these challenging times,” Angeles said.
To date, water availability for the city has reached 99 percent, with water available from 8 to 12 hours at least at the ground floor level.
The remaining areas, however, continue to experience intermittent supply to no water. As an interim measure, static tanks were put up in Bagong Ilog and Napindan. Continuous operational adjustments are being conducted as well as a line booster was installed to allow water to eventually reach these areas.