QUEZON City, Philippines (October 23) – In an article posted in CNN News, it was confirmed that regulators will not reduce water allocations to concessionaires in Metro Manila and nearby areas, but Maynilad announced that it may extend water service interruptions. Maynilad said some areas will have no water for up to 20 hours a day. Currently, 900 barangays in Metro Manila and Cavite have seven-hour water cuts from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. daily.
Maynilad explained that it needs to extend water service interruption because of dwindling supply in the Angat and Ipo dams.Meanwhile, the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) has yet to decide on Metro Manila’s allocation for next month. The NWRB said it was studying if it could grant the request of the National Irrigation Administration for water allocation to farms in Bulacan and Pampanga given the limited water supply in Angat Dam.
Are you ready for the 20 hour water interruption?
In a writer’s point of view, a person who is ready will never be defeated. We need to get ready for the water interruption so that we won’t experience worst. Cases are, if you’re not going to get ready— there won’t be water in your home!
Engr. Ronald Padua, head of Maynilad’s water supply operations, said they will advise consumers at least two days before they change the new schedule.
More barangays may be affected if the National Water Resources Board decides to further reduce the allocation of water for Metro Manila from Angat dam.
Amidst this problem, the National Irrigation Administration is requesting the NWRB to consider its request for inrrigation water from Angat dam if the Bustos Dam cannot sustain the water requirements for 14,000 hectares of farm lands in Bulacan and Pampanga.
NWRB executive director Dr. Sevillano David Jr. said water for domestic and municipal use are given priority whenever there are constraints in the water supply.
Maynilad and Manila Water, the concessionaire in the east zone, have voiced opposition to the water service cut. Manila Water has not yet announced its schedule of interruption.
What we residents must do is to get ready. We need to cooperate and let’s not waste water!
Here’s how by Eden Project:
- Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth – this can save 6 litres of water per minute.
- Place a cistern displacement device in your toilet cistern to reduce the volume of water used in each flush. You can get one of these from your water provider.
- Take a shorter shower. Shower can use anything between 6 and 45 litres per minute.
- Always use full loads in your washing machine and dishwasher – this cuts out unnecessary washes in between.
- Fix a dripping tap. A dripping tap can waste 15 litres of water a day, or 5,500 litres of water a year.
- Install a water butt to your drainpipe and use the water collected to water your plants, clean your car and wash your windows.
- Water your garden with a watering can rather than a hosepipe. A hosepipe uses 1,000 litres of water an hour. Mulching your plants (with bark chippings, heavy compost or straw) and watering in the early morning and late afternoon will reduce evaporation and also save water.
- Fill a jug with tap water and place this in your fridge. This will mean you do not have to leave the cold tap running for the water to run cold before you fill your glass.
- Install a water meter. When you’re paying your utility provider for exactly how much water you use, laid out in an itemised bill, there’s an incentive to waste less of the stuff.
- Invest in water-efficient goods when you need to replace household products. You can now buy water-efficient showerheads, taps, toilets, washing machines, dishwashers and many other water-saving products.
With these tips, you’ll be able to get ready and at the same time conserve water! Not only you helped the government lessen the problem of water consumption but also you helped mother earth!
(written by Joana Joyce Marcaida, edited by Jay Paul Carlos, additional research by Vince Villarin)