Government assures stable water supply up to November

The government has assured an increased water supply for Metro Manila due to Typhoon “Lando,” but El Niño threats continue to hound and should place the agriculture sector in a critical need in crop protection.

The National Water Resources Board (NWRB) has raised for November water allocation for Metro Manila to 38 cubic meters per second (CMS), assuring uninterrupted supply amid Philippines’ hosting Asia Pacific Economic Conference (APEC) next month.

Supply to sectors supporting hosting of APEC are a priority.

Typhoon “Lando,” while bringing damage to agricultural crops, has helped raise water elevation at Metro Manila’s major water source Angat Dam in Bulacan, according to NWRB Executive Director Silvino David Jr.

The typhoon raised water elevation in Luzon’s major dams. In Angat, elevation rose to 203.72 meters, a marked improvement from 194.23 meters as of October 17.

Water level in Ipo and La Mesa dams likewise increased, enabling higher allocation for the concessionaires.

However, since increased water from “Lando” is not really expected, NWRB Deputy Executive Director Jorge M. Estioko said government is on its toes as El Niño continue to threaten rainfall down to nine percent of normal rate by December, 2015.

Average rainfall in the country is placed at 200 millimeters (MM) per month.

“We will periodically review the standby allocation for the succeeding months if there will still be a need for it. “We will also continue to conduct a weekly monitoring of the municipal water allocation,” said David.

Water for domestic use is a priority over use for electricity and irrigation.

At times, water for irrigation is diverted into domestic use when there is water dearth such as due to El Niño.

Fortunately, due to “Lando,” standby allocation for irrigation for October was not diverted for domestic use.

Earlier, due to water deficiency in the dams, NWRB reduced the allocation for metropolis’ water concessionaires to 36 CMS in October from 38 CMS in September and higher from 41 CMS in August.

The reduction is due to the dry spell. The supply to Metro Manila translates in the form of water allocation for Manila Water and Maynilad water utility concessionaires.

NWRB and the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System continue monitor water consumption amid El Niño which is predicted to impact on agriculture up to first semester of 2016.

Due to the recent rains, Maynilad has been able to suspend last October 18 scheduled seven-hour water interruption for certain customers.