Maynilad: Rains may still affect water turbidity, supply

MANILA, Philippines -- Monsoon rains over the Ipo watershed may still cause turbidity in the water and affect water supply, concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. said Tuesday.

 

In an advisory on Tuesday afternoon, it said it had normalized the water supply in the West Zone but could not guarantee that supply would be constant past Tuesday evening.

 

"We may only be able to sustain this until 8 p.m. today, as we continue to experience monsoon rains over the Ipo watershed which could increase the turbidity level," Maynilad said.

 

As of its 3 p.m advisory, there was improved water supply situation in its serviced areas, which would be sustained should turbidity level of the raw water stay normal.

 

Affected areas are majority of the barangays in Quezon City, Valenzuela, Manila (whole areas of Sampaloc, Quiapo, San Miguel, Sta. Cruz and Sta. Mesa), and selected areas in Caloocan, Paranaque, Pasay, Navotas, Muntinlupa, Malabon, Makati, and Las Pinas.

 

Outside Metro Manila, the areas of Imus, Cavite City, Noveleta, Rosario, Kawit, and Bacoor in Cavite are also affected.

Customers will continue to experience low pressure to no water, as well as some discoloration in the water supply but Maynilad assured the public that water remains safe for home use.

 

"To help reduce the sediments, customers can let the water stand in a container for a few hours before using the water, so the sediments will settle at the bottom," Maynilad advised.

 

Since Monday, the turbidity level -- the haziness or cloudiness due to particles -- of the raw water entering the La Mesa Treatment Plants has normalized to 300 nethelometric turbidity units (NTU) after it spiked up to 1,600 NTU over the weekend.

 

As of Tuesday afternoon, Maynilad was able to increase water production to the normal level of about 2,000 million liters per day (MLD) from the 1,840 MLD on Monday.

 

Turbidity level refers to the sediment content in the dam’s water and owing to the continuous rains brought on by the monsoon, turbidity level increased as soil eroded from the Ipo watershed area into the dam.

 

Meanwhile, Maynilad continues to deploy 54 mobile water tankers so it can deliver potable water to affected areas. Customers may request for water tanker delivery through its special water tankering Hotline 737-3311.

 

The company said customers can call its hotlines and social media accounts for water supply updates.

 

On the other hand, Manila Water has not announced any water disruption among its customers.

 

"Water supply operations for Manila Water remains normal. There’s no scheduled water interruption except for the planned activities," Manila Water said in a text message.