Hike in Metro Manila water allocation gets NWRB nod

MANILA, Philippines — The National Water Resources Board (NWRB) has approved the 52 cubic meters per second (cms) allocation requested by Maynilad Water Services Inc. and Manila Water, Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) Administrator Leonor Cleofas announced yesterday.

“Yes, the NWRB has approved the 52 cms,” Cleofas told The STAR.

She said the additional allocation will be effective until May 2023.

“The additional two cms will go to Maynilad, as Manila Water has no problem in the water supply. It even helped Maynilad as it opened five points of its cross boundaries to assist Maynilad,” she said.

According to Cleofas, the two water concessionaires will share the 50 cms allocation earlier granted by the NWRB.

Cleofas said the increase in water allocation will address the daily water interruption being experienced by Maynilad customers. MWSS has appealed the decision of the NWRB after it only granted 50 cms allocation instead of the original request of 52 cms.

The NWRB, led by executive director Sevillo David Jr., met on Thursday to discuss the request of MWSS.David has said that the board needs to assess the situation, including the possibility that the El Niño phenomenon will enter the country in the middle of the year. Based on latest monitoring of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), as of 6 a.m. yesterday, the level of Angat Dam was at 198.39 meters compared to its previous level of 198.52 meters on Thursday, or a reduction of 0.13 centimeters.

Despite the drop in the level of Angat Dam, it is still 9.86 meters above its rule curve elevation of 188.53 meters.

According to David, the water allocation will allow the La Mesa Dam and Ipo Dam to recover at a more comfortable level and address some of the water supply issues of Metro Manila.

The MWSS and NWRB have given assurance that Angat Dam will be able to supply the water requirement in Metro Manila and other provinces until December. Angat Dam supplies more than 90 percent of Metro Manila’s potable water needs and provides irrigation for 25,000 hectares of farmlands in Bulacan and Pampanga. At present, Maynilad customers in Manila, Quezon City, Makati, Caloocan, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Valenzuela, Navotas and Malabon; the cities of Cavite, Bacoor and Imus and the towns of Kawit, Noveleta and Rosario in Cavite experienced at least eight to 14 hours of daily water cutoff.