OP-ED COLUMNS: MANILA- What’s MWSS doing about the ‘water famine’ in Metro Manila? by Atty. Dodo Dulay

OBVIOUSLY nothing. As I write this column, my faucets have again run dry. This after Manila Water briefly turned on the tap in our Kapitolyo, Pasig, neighborhood for the first time in four days.

Water supply has been erratic ever since Manila Water implemented a “surprise” water interruption starting Wednesday last week. Although Manila Water issued an online advisory about some “operational adjustments” with a listing of affected areas, the East Zone water concessionaire didn’t give any definite schedule of water interruption.

The unexpected water outage left many households, including mine, unable to store even a bucket of water. I had to drive across the metropolis to a friend’s condo to fix myself up so I could go to work. Not a good way to start my morning. Manila Water later published a more detailed water interruption schedule, but it turned out to be wishful thinking as many residents barely got running water at the appointed time.

I have to admit that my daily routine has been upended by this sudden “water famine.” And I am pissed. Really pissed. How the f**k could this have happened?!

True, the onset of El Niño may be around the corner, but this is not the first time the country encountered this natural phenomenon. The last El Niño dry spell to hit the Philippines lasted from February 2015 to July 2106 but even at its height, I never had my water supply cut off. The flow may have been weaker, but it was never totally gone like it was recently. The water levels at Angat Dam from where Maynilad and Manila Water source their supply are still currently way above the critical level. So, what was the difference between then and now? Someone please explain it to me.

Because of this sudden shortage, water suppliers are having a heyday, with prices triple what it usually was. Ordinary households have no choice but to bite the bullet. And for our less privileged kababayan, that means scrimping on food and other essential expenditures to pay for their (now, more overpriced) water needs.

It isn’t only households that are hit hard by this artificial drought. Many businesses and activities relying on a steady supply of water like construction sites, refilling stations, restaurants, laundry shops and even small carinderias, will see their water expense trebled. Some may even close shop or stop work. After all, it’s only their water supply that stopped, but not their rental payments or operating costs. Not a few establishments in our district and surrounding areas have ceased operations for lack of water. If the water crisis continues, we might see more businesses going under, and if that happens, it is nothing less than economic sabotage.

We interviewed Manila Water spokesman Jeric Sevilla on our weekly radio show “Executive Session” (dzRH, 666AM), and he said this water famine might last until the rainy season begins. If true, that means millions of households and businesses will have to endure unnecessary hardship for the next three months.

Manila Water has been trying to mitigate the effects of this water crisis by sending out water tankers to different affected areas every day in order to provide residents with free potable water. But with only a limited number of trucks to service millions of affected consumers, its deliveries definitely cannot meet the daily water needs of everyone in its East Zone concession area. Most, if not all, would have to fend for themselves to find other sources of water, somewhere, somehow.

.

.

ADS by Cloud 9:

What I find particularly bothersome is that just last week, Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) Administrator Reynaldo Velasco assured the public that there was enough water supply for its customers. Velasco reportedly even pledged that there was no water shortage looming in the horizon for residents of Metro Manila and neighboring provinces despite the below-normal water level at La Mesa Dam. So, why is there no water coming out of my tap, Mr. Velasco?

The MWSS-Regulatory Office (RO) — the office under Velasco that is supposed to monitor the compliance of the private concessionaires (i.e. Manila Water and Maynilad) with their obligation to continuously supply potable water to consumers — appears to have been caught flat-footed by the widespread water outage in the metropolis.

I also find it ironic that MWSS-RO recently made a big splash about cutting water rates for Manila Water and Maynilad customers this summer when large swathes of Metro Manila are currently reeling from water stoppages. What use is a water rate cut if people can’t even get any water?!! Anak ng pating.

As the government agency responsible for exercising regulatory powers over Manila Water and Maynilad, the MWSS-RO has been suspiciously silent about the ongoing water famine. Why hasn’t it called out Maynilad and Manila Water for not providing uninterrupted supply to its customers? Is it because it’s MWSS fault that the concessionaires have not been able to build new water sources to cover the supply shortfall?

In August last year, Manila Water warned of a possible supply shortage in its concession area by 2021 unless MWSS green-lighted the East Zone concessionaire’s P13-billion Laguna Lake Water Supply System Project or “East Bay.” But Velasco allegedly wasn’t keen on approving the plan, preferring instead to roll out the government-led Kaliwa Dam project in Quezon, which will not be completed until 2023.

Other observers say, however, that the water concessionaires are merely creating an artificial shortage to condition the mind of the public into accepting higher rates in return for uninterrupted water supply.

Whether this water famine is a prelude to a planned rate hike or a scheme by the concessionaires to pressure MWSS to approve their water projects, what is undeniable is that it is the public — and the economy — that is bearing the brunt of this water famine. This is why Velasco needs to solve this problem as soon as possible, not merely by telling the public to save water or use it wisely (as Filipinos already do given our expensive water rates) but by undertaking activities that will ensure consumers are insulated against future El Niño events.

Above all, he should remember that President Rodrigo Duterte promised a comfortable life for Filipinos, and that certainly won’t happen without a stable and inexpensive supply of water for our countrymen.

.

.

ADS by Cloud 9: