Water crisis in the midst of abundance of alternative sources of supply

By Ben Cal

MANILA, July 21 (PNA Feature) -– What an irony that some parts of Metro Manila are experiencing a water crisis in the midst of abundance of alternative sources of water supply waiting to be tapped!

Another irony is that the water supply shortage is being experienced by tens of thousands of Metro Manila residents during a rainy season when water is supposed to be aplenty.

For the past week or so, many areas of Metro Manila have been hit by an acute water shortage that in some instances, angry residents even slugged it out to get supply from water tankers rationing water daily.

The residents, carrying containers of every kind, race towards the water tankers when these arrive in their areas.

Bedlam breaks loose as everybody wants to be served first, apparently for fear of not getting any water.

However, in the midst of the water crisis, millions of liters of water go to waste daily because of busted or leaking pipes.

In some cases, unscrupulous residents in depressed areas have illegal connections, resulting in systems losses to both Manila Water Co. and Maynilad Water Services Inc. Systems losses are charged to paying customers in their monthly bills.

As a consequence, water shortage is experienced from time to time in some areas in Metro Manila.

Laguna Lake, the largest lake in the Philippines with an aggregate area of 911.36 square kilometers and a shoreline of 220 kilometers near Manila, has been there since time immemorial, waiting to be tapped for drinking water for the more than 12 million Metro Manila residents and tens of million more in nearby provinces. The lake is fed by 45,000 square kilometers of catchment areas and from its 21 tributaries.

With the water crisis pestering Metro Manila, there is now a move to tap the huge and unlimited potable water supply from Laguna Lake.

At present, the main source of water for Metro Manila is Angat Dam in Norzagaray, Bulacan, which is experiencing low level of water the past week.

The water level in Angat Dam as of Tuesday was at 157.79 meters and continues to dip everyday.

The rainfall that pelted Luzon, including Metro Manila, the past several weeks was barely a dent to replenish the supply of water to Angat Dam.

But before the water crisis worsens, the government is now seriously looking for alternative sources of water surrounding Metro Manila. Aside from Laguna Lake, Marikina River and Pampanga River are also being considered.

In the meantime, the government will conduct cloud seeding operations to mitigate the water shortage in Metro Manila.

The Manila Water and Maynilad Water are also appealing to the public to conserve water at all times, with or without water crisis. (PNA Feature)
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