Arroyo: Conserve water

MANILA -- Water supply in Metro Manila has reached critical level, forcing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to issue an administrative order stipulating measures that ensure optimum resource utilization.

Arroyo’s administrative order directs the immediate cutting down of water releases to the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) and National Irrigation Authority (NIA) following the continuous drop of the water level at the Angat Dam and the threat of El Niño.

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Angat Dam, a multi-purpose reservoir in Bulacan province, supplies 97 percent of Metro Manila's raw water requirements and irrigates more than 20,000 hectares of rice land in that province.

The President also ordered the Department of Agriculture (DA) and NIA to terminate or schedule the land soaking activities of the Angat-Maasim River Irrigation System service areas to maximize water use.

Under Administrative Order (AO) 278, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), through the National Water Resources Board (NWRB), shall oversee the implementation of the reduction of water releases to MWSS and NIA that should have started in January.
 
The President, in issuing the AO, said the water level at Angat Dam has already fallen to an alarming level and is expected to worsen with the El Nino during the first quarter of 2010.
 
This would result in low water supply for Metro Manila and the nearby areas served by Angat, and at the same time press the urgency of adopting urgent and decisive measures to address water shortage to protect the health and well-being of the population.

"There is a critical need to institute appropriate measures to ensure optimum utilization of water resources for Metro Manila…There is a need to actively implement water conservation measures and improve the operational efficiency of water service providers, for example reduce the level of non-revenue water, to maximize the limited supply of water," Arroyo said in the order.

The reduction in MWSS water supply will be affecting 600 villages in Metro Manila.

MWSS senior deputy administrator Macra Cruz told reporters that the water level in Angat Dam has been going down at a rate of .25 to .30 meters a day.

As of 8 a.m. on February 17, Angat Dam's water level was at 196.41 meters, and the MWSS expects it to fall to a critical level of 180 meters by May or April.

Cruz said if Angat Dam's water level drops to 180 meters, regulators would have to stop allocating water for irrigation. The remaining water would be used solely for Metro Manila's water supply.

She said the volume of water being supplied daily to Metro Manila amounts to 4,000 million liters at an average of 46 cubic meters per second.

Cruz said because of Angat Dam's unusually low water level, they have been forced to lower the delivery of water to the metropolis to 40 cubic meters per second affecting a few barangays.

At 170 meters, Angat Dam would not be able to provide the 97 percent water requirement of Metro Manila.

She said water supply in 584 barangays that fall under the jurisdiction of Maynilad Water Services Inc. (MWSI) and 50 more barangays in the east sector being supplied by Manila Water Company (MWC) will be affected.

“Metro Manila is already experiencing a 14 percent water supply reduction nowadays,” Cruz said.

She said the two water firms, MWSI and MWC, will have to cut down water supply by 25 percent in May and June. MWSI, however, said there is water interruption scheduled within the next few days.

Cruz said MWSS will impose a four-hour rotating water supply in Metro Manila.

Other directives of the President include conducting a massive information drive to encourage the people to conserve water, and for local government units (LGUs) in Metro Manila, through the barangay, to monitor and report leaks and pilferages to the MWSI and other water concessionaires.
 
The Philippine National Police (PNP) is also directed to assist the concerned concessionaires in the enforcement of anti-pilferage measures, while the LGUs concerned should immediately grant permits for repairs to enable the water firms to respond to the complaints within 24 hours and have the leaks repaired in three to five days.
 
The Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH), Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and other concerned government agencies shall also assist the MWSS and water concessionaires in improving the water service delivery; while the Departments of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Finance (DOF) shall oversee the grant of incentives for the production of goods that conserve water and establishments undertaking water conservation and utilization.
 
The AO stated that a water marshal shall be assigned by each government agencies who shall undertake the conservation and assessment programs for water consumption starting January. A monthly report comparing the monthly consumption would be submitted to NWRB.
 
The AO also exempts the Angat Hydro-Electric Plant from ancillary use and directs the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) to coordinate with the NWRB and MWSS in engaging experts that would help in identifying all possible options on demand-side management like the use of free urinals and off-the-shelf environmentally friendly practices; operational efficiency improvement like reduction on non-revenue water; new water supply sources to avert water crisis; and analyzing identified options or interventions measures in terms of “value for money.”

In a related development, Consumer and Oil Price Watch (COPW) chairman Raul Concepcion asked Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes to prevent the National Power Corp. (Napocor) from utilizing the water at the Angat Dam after water concessionaires Manila Water and Maynilad started reducing water supplies in their residential customers.

In a news briefing, Concepcion said Reyes should have not authorized the maintenance shutdown of power plants to take place during the summer months instead it should be done during the rainy season when water levels are really high.

The consumer advocates head also noted that since the prime use of the Angat dam is for drinking water for the Metro Manila residents, utilization of water for power generation must be prevented now.

“This is a wake call for Psalm (Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management) Vice Chairman Angelo Reyes to ensure that scheduling of plant shutdowns for maintenance purposes must be done during the rainy months and not during the summer months,” he added.

“Given the current water levels in our dams, Reyes must ensure that water is no longer used to generate power and that government must look into other power sources instead,” Concepcion said.

Meanwhile, Reyes said they are commending the pro-active move by Manila Water and Maynilad by volunteering to install flow meters at the appropriate valves at their expense to ensure that the order of priority in the use of water from Angat is being followed.

“This technology must be applied to all the dams nationwide to prevent the same condition in Metro Manila from happening. Otherwise, people will suffer from thirst and agricultural lands will dry and crack up from lack of irrigation,” Concepcion said.

It was reported that Taguig, Taytay, Paranaque and the province of Bulacan were suffering from water shortage brought about by El Nino dry spell. (JMR/MSN/Sunnex)