Deep wells deliver as metro suffers from Angat supply cuts

Listed water service provider Manila Water Co. Inc. is ramping up the activation of deep wells in parts of Metro Manila and Rizal province to help ensure water supply during the dry season.

In a statement on Friday, Manila Water said they were now operating 38 deep wells to meet the daily water needs of up to 335,000 customers in the East Zone concession area.

These deep wells currently produce up to 67.06 million liters of water per day (MLD), an improvement of about 11 percent or almost 7 MLD compared to the 60.21 MLD recorded on March 15.

Manila Water said running these deep wells was meant to sustain the water needs of its customers and ease the strain on Angat Dam in case the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) reduces raw water allocation by mid-April.

“We are working closely with the MWSS (Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System) and NWRB to preserve Angat Dam’s working level. In addition, the company has been carrying out water supply augmentation programs, which include deep well maximization,” Manila Water’s corporate communications affairs group director Jeric Sevilla said.

Angat Dam supplies around 90 percent of Metro Manila’s requirements as well as the irrigation needs of farmlands in Bulacan and Pampanga provinces. The NWRB decides on the division of raw water coming from the dam between domestic use and irrigation.

The MWSS receives the Angat water allocation, which is then split between concessionaires Manila Water and Maynilad Water Services Inc.

The NWRB retained the 50 cubic meters per second (cms) allocation for household consumption from April 1 to 15, but this would be reduced to 48 cms from April 15 to 30 to alleviate the impact of the dry spell on water supply.

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Pressure level coming from faucets has been lowered during off-peak hours from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. daily to mitigate losses in the water system and to manage consumption.

The MWSS had explained that under normal conditions, water pressure is maintained at a level enough to reach the second floor of houses. With a lower pressure in recent days, water supply could reach only the first floor.

As of Friday, Angat’s water level is 197.58 meters, slightly lower than the 197.87 meters recorded a day ago, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.

The current level is below the normal or comfortable water level of 212 meters yet far from the minimum operating level of 180 meters. INQ