DA orders cloud seeding amid water shortage
MANILA, Philippines — Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol has ordered the agency's regional offices to conduct cloud seeding operations as Metro Manila and nearby areas experience a water supply shortage attributed to El Niño.
Water service concessionaires Manila Water and Maynilad earlier announced that there would be water service interruptions in the coming days due to operational adjustments.
In a Facebook post, Piñol recounted how he asked his friend and helicopter pilot Archibald Po if the cloud formations they passed through en route to Isabela and Nueva Ecija were enough for cloud seeding operations.
"Archie said the cloud formations may not be heavy enough for a cloud seeding operations but he said that continuous monitoring should be conducted," Piñol said on Facebook.
Po advised the Agriculture chief that the there should be right timing when the clouds are above La Mesa Dam.
Piñol previously consulted Po, who owns aircraft charter company Lionair Inc., in September 2018 when the Agriculture chief was touting a plan to use cargo planes to transport vegetables and other agricultural produce. It is unclear if the plan to use Air Force C-130s and private cargo planes has taken off.
RELATED: Flying veggies on Air Force C-130s may have hidden costs
The water level at La Mesa Dam has reached below critical level of 68.93 meters as of Monday morning, its lowest level in 12 years.
"Following Archie's advise, I immediately fired off a directive to Operations Undersecretary Ariel Cayanan of the Department of Agriculture to order the DA Regional Offices to implement cloud seeding operations," Piñol said.
Piñol also directed Cayanan to coordinate with the Philippine Air Force for cloud seeding operations in Bulacan, Pampanga and Rizal to fill up La Mesa Dam.
"As early as last year, funds were already transferred to the Regional Offices and the Philippine Air Force for cloud seeding operations in preparation for the El Niño," Piñol said.
'Cloud seeding is not that easy'
State weather bureau PAGASA, on the other hand, earlier warned that it is unable to conduct cloud seeding operations due to the lack of fertile clouds.
"Hindi basta ganoon lang mag-cloud seeding kasi. Kailangan iyong meron tayong mga thunderstorm clouds na pwedeng lagyan natin ng mga salt na pwede magpaulan," PAGASA hydrologist Elmer Caringal told One News.
(Cloud seeding is not that simple. There have to be thunderstorm clouds that you can use salt on to try to produce rain)
El Niño is characterized by shorter wet seasons and an early onset of the dry season.
Manila Water, which supplies water in the east concession zone, admitted that its allocation of 1,600 million liters per day from Angat Dam is no longer enough to supply water on its area. Water from the La Mesa Dam is only a reserve for the Ayala-led water supplier in case the level at Angat Dam gets too low.
Malacañang has expressed concern over the water supply crisis in parts of Metro Manila and nearby areas.
“We will respond to that. But the problem is the water should come from the sky. What if it does not rain? We may have to wait,” presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said.
The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System said Monday in a ONE News report that the Angat Dam, the main source of Metro Manila's water, has enough to last through the dry season.
"This is very much—very high in terms of level. Hindi 'yan kukulangin kahit may El Niño," MWSS Administrator Reynaldo Velasco said in a report by News5's Patricia Mangune.
The water shortage has affected large parts of Metro Manila and parts of Rizal, where service interruptions can last for hours.
An environmental watch group advises the public to conserve water all the more as parts of the country grapple with the effects of drought brought by the onset of El Niño.
In a statement, the EcoWaste Coalition calls on Metro Manila households to take water conservation more seriously while also calling on establishments to intensify water conservation measures.
“We join our water authorities in asking household, businesses and government institutions in Metro Manila to use water more wisely amid the declining water level in Angat, Ipo and La Mesa Dams,” Aileen Lucero, EcoWaste national coordinator, says.
She adds: “Let us all aim for zero water waste to reduce the impacts of low water supply during the summer months to the people, especially the poor, and the environment.”
The water level in La Mesa Dam is now below critical level at 68.93 meters due to the summer season and the El Niño phenomenon.
Maynilad customers in Caloocan, Malabon and Quezon will experience low pressure to no water starting 1 p.m. today, June 27.
The emergency water service interruption is expected to last till 9 p.m.
"We apologize for the inconvenience. Thank you," Maynilad says in a tweet.
Manila Water is now operating an additional 34 deep wells in its concession area to help meet the demand of customers while the new water sources are being completed.
As of June 9, 2019, 43.42 million liters of water per day have been drawn from these deep wells and is seen to bring more water supply upon full operation of more deep wells in the coming months.
"The operation of these deep wells is vital to recovering our service towards 24/7 supply at 7 psi or pressure up to the ground level as one of the means of augmenting the water supply deficit," Manila Water Corporate Strategic Affairs Group Head Jeric Sevilla says.
Manila Water President Ferdinand dela Cruz says in a statement that he will abide by the decision of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System to pay a financial penalty upon over its momentary inability to meet its service obligations to provide round-the-clock water supply to consumers.
The MWSS board has sanctioned Manila Water Company Inc. with a total of P1.134 billion fine and an additional P600 million fund for development of a new water supply source following the water shortage last month that affected parts of Metro Manila and neighboring towns.
The imposition of penalties on Manila Water was due to its failure to comply with Article 10.4 of the concession agreement or the 24-hour available supply in its service areas.
The MWSS Board sanctions Ayala-led Manila Water with P1.15 billion in fines following the supply mess last month.
— The STAR/Maureen Simeon
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