The looming water crisis of 2020

RONALD GOSECO

This September, Manila Water Co. Inc. announced that despite the low supply allocation, it has been able to restore 24-hour water availability to 100 percent of its customers in the Manila East Zone with at least 7 pounds per square inch (psi) of pressure. This pressure was enough to provide water at the ground floor of its customers. Starting from a 150-million liter per day (MLD) deficit last March to almost 350 MLD in late June, it has successfully narrowed the supply gap with the increased production in its Cardona Water Treatment Plant, the rehabilitation and construction of both existing and new deep wells, and a more efficient reduction of its system losses (NRW) from 12 percent last year to almost 10 percent. The NRW numbers are remarkable as global standards are almost twice this. Of course, the rains that filled up the dams had a lot do with this achievement.