Metro Manila’s Water Crisis

The people of Metro Manila are experiencing another water crisis as the Angat Dam cannot supply the water requirement of the metropolis. People are now lining up to get water from delivery trucks of Maynilad and Manila Waters. Fire trucks were also commissioned to help in the delivery of water to the people. Tensions ran high as people line up for the whole night until the early hours of the morning to get some water.

The problem of inadequate water supply is haunting Metro Manila for the past years. However, the ignorance and inefficiency of the Manila Water and Sewerage System (MWSS) made this problem transform into a crisis that the metropolis is currently experiencing.

Multiple Water Sources Being Pushed

In a TV interview, head of the MWSS admitted that they became too confident of the capacity of Angat Dam that they forgot to develop other water sources. Wawa Da The volume of water from Wawa is enough to answer the water requirement in Montalban, San Mateo, and Marikina. Using the dam will ease the pressure on Angat Dam and help in reducing the water crisis.

MWSS relied only to Angat Dam for its needs. The problem is that the Angat Dam is not only used for supplying the waters of Metro Manila. Many sectors are relying on it for their needs. The water stored by Angat Dam is used for irrigation and electrification. Thus, not all water in the Angat Dam can be used to supply the water requirement of the metropolis.

The water crisis forced Maynilad to extract water from the Laguna Lake for its customers in Muntinlupa. The two water concessioners are considering other water sources like the Marikina River, Pampanga River, and Wawa Dam.

People Urged to Save Water

According to PAGASA, normal rainfall will resume around September. Because of this, the water level at Angat Dam will not return to normal and the water crisis in Metro Manila will continue. To ease the problem, the MWSS are urging the people to conserve water.

The Department of Health warned people about the dangers of Dengue now that people are storing water in drums and containers that could be used as breeding grounds of mosquitoes. People are urged to cover their drums and containers to avoid Dengue virus from spreading.

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This is an opinion article regarding the water crisis that Metro Manila is experiencing.