Narrow pipes blamed for low water pressure

ILOILO City – Metro Pacific Iloilo Water (MPIW) assured the public that it has an adequate water supply for its 4,700 consumers in seven districts in this city.

In his report to the Iloilo City Council, Engr. Jedd Roxas, MPIW head of operations, said MPIW distributes an average of 73 million liters per day (MLD), which he said is significantly above the critical level of 65 MLD.

The city’s water distributor also reported an increase in water availability from 40 percent to 63 percent since it entered into a joint venture agreement with Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD) in 2019.

The water distributor firm also increased system efficiency and reliability by reducing water losses from 59 percent to 43 percent.

But why do most of MPIW’s consumers experience limited water service hours?

Marie Joy Josue, MPIW c orpora t e a f f a i r s a nd c ommunications head , admitted that 37 percent of their consumers in the city receive less than 12 hours of water supply daily.

Josue said they resort to water scheduling in various areas in the city due to low pressure, hence the inability to deliver enough water to the consumers because of narrow pipes.

“The constructed pipelines are already dilapidated since some were installed in 1920. We have identified them as being outdated based on scientific assessment. We are upgrading these pipelines to service the growing population and to fully serve about 45,000 of our customers in the city,” said Josue.

The MPIW officers were invited by the Iloilo City Council to shed light on the status of the water supply in the city amid the El Niño phenomenon.

Councilor Romel Duron, the council’s energy and public utilities committee chairman, called for the hearing with MPIW representatives to brief them about the current situation of water supply in the city, including the company’s plans and projects for the metropolis.

In her presentation, Josue reiterated the increase in water availability from 40 percent to 63 percent and the reduction in water losses from 59 percent to 43 percent.

Josue said water service connections also increased by 48,000. They also transitioned from manual to digital customer processes such as spot utility billing, online help desks, and online bill information.

The number of payment collection partners also increased from 20 to 400, and about a hundred individuals were apprehended for water pilferage.

For his part, Engr. Roxas, the MPIW head of operations, stressed that the Tigum River in Maasin is still at a normal level.

“The condition and level of water supply in the river will have an impact on the water

supply level of the bulk water suppliers. The bulk suppliers have also identified action plans ready for implementation should El Niño effects intensify,” Roxas’ presentation noted.

Roxas said they intend to improve the city’s water system to ensure reliable and high-quality

drinking water.

Roxas also mentioned plans to establish a supply source by constructing and developing a desalination plant exclusively for Iloilo City.

The water distributor will implement, too, desalination primary l i ne pipe l aying, along with pipe upgrades and replacement of old pipes in Jaro.

The firm will also conduct pipe rehabilitation and expansion in City Proper, La Paz, Molo, Arevalo, Mandurriao, and the Jalaur Transmission Line Project.

MPIW has started using Tyfo Fibrwrap Pipe ( TFP) Rehabilitation, an innovative trenchless technology that aims to identify and repair problematic locations to repair a primary pipeline without interrupting the water supply service during its leak repair operations./