MWSS: NCR water supply sufficient for rest of 2023 amid El Niño

The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) on Tuesday brushed off concerns about a potential water supply shortage amid the anticipated onset of the El Niño phenomenon later this year, saying the Angat Dam’s capacity remains sufficient to cover Metro Manila’s requirement for the rest of the year.

In an interview with reporters, MWSS Administrator Leonor Cleofas said that simulations conducted by a technical working group (TWG) on Angat Dam - which supplies 90% of Metro Manila and nearby provinces’ water requirements - shows that the dam’s level will remain “comfortable” throughout the dry season months.

“We can say that Angat Dam is at a comfortable level. In a simulation to identify what our elevation will be come August or the end of the summer season, our prognosis is still good. Our water level is still high,” Cleofas said.

The MWSS administrator said the TWG is chaired by the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) includes the MWSS and the National Irrigation Administration along with other water stakeholders as members.

As of Tuesday, March 28, 2023, the water elevation level of Angat Dam is at 203.25 meters, still beyond its minimum operating level of 180 meters.

Asked if the water supply in Metro Manila will be sufficient for the rest of the year despite the threat of the El Niño phenomenon, Cleofas said, “As far as MWSS is concerned, yes.”

She added that the impact of El Niño - which is expected to start in June and last until the early first quarter of 2024 - “will be felt later part of this year and early part of next year.”

The El Niño phenomenon is characterized by the abnormal warming of sea surface temperature in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean and below-normal rainfall.

On Maynilad’s advisory of water interruptions in portions of Metro Manila and Cavite, Cleofas said the MWSS will have a meeting with the water concessionaire on Wednesday, March 29, to know their reason. 

“Maaring iba ang kanilang (Maynilad) dahilan. [Maybe] it’s not about Angat level kaya ayun ang gusto nating malaman bukas,” she said.

The MWSS chief, however, said that the long-delayed Kaliwa Dam project remained the only viable and long-term solution to the increasing water demand in Metro Manila and its nearby provinces.

“If we deliver the Kaliwa Dam, we will be reaching for comfortable water security up to 2050 and beyond,” Cleofas said.

The P12.2-billion Kaliwa Dam project, once completed, is expected to begin supplying water “start of 2027.” 

The project, seen to provide Metro Manila with 600 million liters of water per day, covers portions of the municipalities of Tanay, Antipolo, and Teresa in Rizal and General Nakar and Infanta in Quezon.

It is being constructed by China Energy Engineering Corporation through an official development assistance loan of $211.414 million signed by the Philippine and Chinese governments in 2018.

About 85% of the project will be funded through a Chinese loan, while the remaining 15% will be financed by the MWSS.

The dam is a 60-meter-high concrete gravity dam on the Kaliwa River that will have a reservoir surface area of 291 hectares.

The project is seen to have a maximum gross reservoir volume of 57 million cubic meters and a discharge capacity of 600 million liters a day.

Cleofas said the project contractor China Energy Engineering Corporation Limited committed to working “round-the-clock” to complete the project by 2026 and start operations in early 2027. —NB, GMA Integrated News