Public told not to hoard water even amid impending service interruptions

Residents to be affected by the water service interruptions that will start on Thursday are urged not to hoard water as concessionaires assure their customers that there will be water supply during the daytime.

"Hindi naman kailangan mag-hoard o mag-ipon ng marami na lampas-lampas dun sa pangangailangan natin sa isang araw," said Sevillo David, executive director of the National Water Resources Board (NWRB), on Wednesday.

Interviewed on Balitanghali, David again stressed the need to implement the service interruptions as the water allocation is only at 40 cubic meters per second (cm/s) or below the normal 48 cm/s.

"Kung may mga instance kasi na sa ilang lugar ay malakas ‘yung kanilang paghugot ng tubig ay naapektuhan po ‘yung ibang nangangailangan. So mas maganda po kung mag-iipon tayo ayon sa mga-- 'yung tama lang pong dami para maitawid naman sa susunod na pagdating ng tubig," David said.

Both Maynilad and Manila Water are set to start implementing rotational water service interruptions in their respective areas beginning Thursday, October 24, due to the decreasing water level at Angat Dam.

David said water level at Angat Dam is at 186 meters in October, down from the 191 meters on the last week of September.

While the current water level still meets the minimum operating level of 180 meters, David said they implemented the reduced allocation to manage the supply so that it could last until next year.

David also said the NWRB has allowed concessionaires to use deep wells to augment the supply deficit for the meantime.

The long-term solution that the NWRB is looking at is the construction of the Kaliwa Dam in Quezon, David added.

“Mas maganda kung ma-develop na rin ‘yan at ‘yung mga karatig-ilog ay tingnan na rin na para ma-develop, mabigyang seguridad ‘yung pangagailangan ng tubig,” he said.

The Haribon Foundation, however, has opposed the construction of the Kaliwa Dam as it will allegedly destroy Sierra Madre's biodiversity. 

The Commission on Audit also questioned the awarding of the Kaliwa Dam contract to a Chinese firm. —Julia Mari Ornedo/KBK, GMA News