AS if long hours of daily water service interruption aren’t enough, Metro Manila and its adjoining provinces are facing the possibility of a water crisis, if the El Niño phenomenon extends beyond the second quarter of 2024.
In an interview, Undersecretary Carlos Primo David warned of potential “major problems” in the water supply for Metro Manila as Angat Dam’s buffer supply may only be enough until May 2024. Angat Dam supplies around 90 percent of Metro Manila’s potable water requirement.
“We’re trying to preserve it that way so that once we enter 2024, it’s at its maximum volume... If the El Niño event next year progresses, intensifies and even extends further than June, then it will be a major problem for Metro Manila,” David admitted.
Deja Vu for Metro
According to David, the crisis could be as tenacious as what happened in 2019 when residents were forced to queue in line for water rations.
“We want to prevent that. Twenty-first century na. We should be better in terms of forecasting, better in terms of managing our resources,” the official was quoted as saying.
The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Service Administration (PAGASA) earlier said around 65 provinces across the country could experience drought, while six others might experience a dry spell by the end of May 2024.
In a separate statement, Environment Secretary Ma. Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga reminded local leaders to take the lead and “assess their needs and the risk of climate change to their specific local government units.”
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. recently ordered a restructuring of the El Niño Task Force composed of 5 subcommittees on water security, energy, public safety, health, and food security. The DENR is said to be in charge of water security.
Private Funds Needed
In November, the DENR said 135 water projects around the country would require private sector funding with the “end goal of providing potable water for many of the communities that are facing water scarcity.”
“In the pipeline is one of the biggest water projects since 10 years ago. I’m speaking of the Cavite bulk water supply, the second provincial-wide water supply program of the country, next to Bulacan bulk. That project will start and all the preparations, in 2024. That’s outside pa of the 135,” David said.
Last week, Marcos also led the inauguration of a water treatment plant in Muntinlupa.
“Once it’s fully operational, you’re looking at about a million people that will be able to access treated water from that facility. So importante yung not just supply but the treatment of that supply and the distribution of that supply,” said Loyzaga.
Not Entirely True
However, the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) refuted David’s grim scenario for Metro Manila.
Citing projections of the Angat Technical Working Group and simulations of the National Water Resources Board, MWSS division manager Patrick Dizon explained that the reservoir may dip to 180 meters, considered to be the minimum operating level, by June 2024.
The El Niño is forecast to last until the 2nd quarter of next year. Low water levels and El Niño spell not only as threats to steady water supply but even more so as risks to food security and health. In 2019, Metro Manila’s demand for water was amplified by the lack of it.
Dizon, however, stood firm – “Base na rin po sa El Niño Southern Oscillation Alert, magiging neutral na ang epekto ng El Niño sa atin come June or July at ito naman po yung transition time at tumataas na rin yung percent probability na magkakaroon po tayo ng La Niña by June or July. Kami naman ay kampante dahil hindi naman nagkakamali itong historical data,” he noted.
Measures In Place
As of writing, the current level of Angat Dam is 213.28 meters which is still below the 217.00 meter spilling level, even as Dizon boasted of “measures in place and projects in the works” to cull water from other sources.
“Naka-prepare naman po kami sa ating mga augmentation measures or ‘yung pinangako po namin na io-augment po namin na mga proyekto like ‘yung mga projects po namin, mga water treatment plant sa Laguna Lake, ito po ay sa Poblacion water treatment plant sa Muntinlupa... at ‘yung East Bay water treatment plant sa may parte po ng Pakil, Laguna, already ongoing at we are targeting to operate po ‘yung planta, ‘yung first phase po nito na 500 million liters per day by January next year,” he added.
“Aside from that meron na rin po tayong mga deep wells, ‘yung rehabilitation ng mga deep wells is around 120 million liters per day po ito na kaya na rin po nating i-operate just in case mabawasan po ‘yung allocation natin from Angat Dam,” he further averred.
Conserve Water
Even with a stable supply, Maynilad and the Manila Water Company Inc. (MWCI) appealed to the public to continue practicing water austerity measures.
The MWSS said around 1,000 liters of water is used by a household with five to seven members daily. The amount can be further reduced if only each member is consciously wise in using the precious resource.
Data from the MWSS also show that around 6 liters of water are used when washing hands under a running faucet for 40 seconds, 15 liters when brushing teeth, and up to 60 liters during an 8-minute continuous shower.
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