Metro Manila faces new water supply shortage

Metro Manilans have to brace themselves for the first sacrifice of the millennium: A reduction in their water supply due to the early onset of summer, which has forced the water concessionaires to reduce their production.

Engineers of the Manila Water Co. (concessionaire for the east zone) and the Maynilad Water Services Inc. (for the west zone) have been holding marathon meetings as a result of the early arrival of summer -- marked by the absence of rainfall since the first week of January. Their conclusion is that at the rate they are producing water from La Mesa Dam -- Manila Water at 1700 MLPD (million liters per day) and Maynilad at 1900 MLPD and the fast evaporation (at 10 centimeters per day) of dam water -- supply will last only until April 3, 2000.

As of Jan. 19, the water level of La Mesa dam was 76.8 meters. At the currents rate of production by the two concessionaires and the evaporation rate of the dam itself, the elevation of the dam will reach its critical level of 70 meters by April 3, the engineers concluded.

This can only be reserved, they said, if the government -- through the Metropolitan Waterworks Sewerage System which runs the multi-billion Umiray-Angat Transbasin Project -- will start releasing this early some volumes to the Angat dam so that supply of Angat itself and its outflow to La Mesa will not be imperiled.