Mama Bear’s Adventures

Different hair color, hair style or eye color.

600,000 households hit by water cutoff

Maynilad Water Services scored a "unilateral" decision by another
state-owned utility National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR) to cut water
supply from Angat Dam resulting in water shortage in some areas west of
Metro Manila, ANC reported Saturday.

"Wala po kaming natanggap na abiso. Akala namin sa December pa po
babawasan ang raw water supply from Angat Dam (We have not received any
notice. We thought raw water supply from Angat Dam will be cut by
December)," Jess Matubis, Maynilad’s vice-president for corporate
communications said.

Matubis said that about 600,000 households or six million residents in
Quezon City, Makati, Valenzuela, Parañaque and Manila were affected by
the water shortage.

He said NAPOCOR made a sudden move to cut water supply from 41 cubic
meter per second to only 39 pending a decision on the matter by the
National Water Resources Board and water regulator Metropolitan
Waterworks and Sewerage System.

MWSS, however, denied Matubis’s claims noting that it has been a week
since it notified the east and west zones concessionaires on the
cutback in water supply.

NAPOCOR generates its water supply from Angat Dam. Earlier reports said
that Angat Dam’s water level almost reached its critical mark of 180
meters.

On November 11, however, the dam’s water level reached 201 meters from
its 194-meter mark due to the downpour of rain brought about by typhoon
Queenie.

MWSS said the cut in water supply was a preparation for El Niño, a
crisis the country is expected to experience starting March next year.

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We didn’t receive any warnings either, after lunch last Friday, our water supply was stopped. We still don’t have water, not even to just replenish our reserves.

Last night we totally ran out of water, our reserve of I don’t know how many liters was all used up. Firetrucks visit the neghborhood to give water, but some people hog tbe supply, leaving the rest of us wandering around looking for water supply. It was kind of amusing to watch though, people wandering around carrying buckets, lots of them, and you would wonder how they would carry them back. Some used tricycles, but it became too heavy for the motor to run up-slope, the people needed to push the tricycle. Other with carts… Chaos….

Fortunately, those households who are supplied by Manila Waters, have a strong water supply, and fortunately, I found one who is supplied by them. So as they say "kapalan na ng mukha", we went there to get water, just enough to get by today syempre hiya pa rin. We are hoping that the supply will resume even for just a couple of hours, enough to refill every available container.