Parts of Metro Manila to remain waterless for more than a week

Parts of Metro Manila may continue to be waterless for more than a week with the disruption being prolonged in elevated areas, a water official said. Normal service is expected to resume within seven to ten days, Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) deputy administrator Isaias Bongar said. He cited reports from two privately-run Metro Manila water distributors -- Maynilad Water Services Inc. (MWSI) and Manila Water Co. Inc. (MWCI) -- that indicated electrical damage which in turn, stopped equipment from pumping water to their service areas. In Metro Manila's east zone, which is served by Manila Water, areas affected include Angono, Marikina, Pasig, Rodriguez, Cainta, Taytay and San Mateo. However, water service has resumed to 5,000 households in Rodriguez and 1,000 homes in Rizal, Manila Water said in an earlier statement, adding that pumping stations in Manggahan, San Jose, San Rafael, and Aranzazu have resumed operations. As of 7PM on Sunday, Cainta and Binangonan still remained waterless since the Brookside Pumping Station has yet to resume operations. The company's several wastewater treatment plants were flooded, prompting the halt of operations. These facilities include nine sewage treatment plants in Karangalan in Cainta, Palosapis in Project 3, San Mateo Septage Treatment Plant, Magallanes Sewage Treatment Plant as well as those in Fortville, Centennial and Lakeview Manor in Taguig and Makati Pabahay. Twenty water tankers continue to augment the water supply in San Mateo and Rodriguez, the company added. Similarly, waterless households in Rodriguez, San Mateo, Cainta, Pasig, Taytay, Angono, and Binangonan were cut to 55,800 from 61,000. Some 25,000 households have also been affected after the Brookside Pumping Station temporarily stopped its operations. In the meantime, MWSI, which serves the west zone, said water service has resumed in 85 percent of its concession area. Although service has yet to stabilize in Metro Manila's elevated areas, majority of customers in Parañaque now have water after Maynilad's booster station in Villamor has been reactivated. Low water pressure are still being felt in Pasay and parts of Valenzuela but normal water pressure will resume within two days. In Muntinlupa, water service has been halted since Maynilad’s Putatan Water Treatment Plant remains flooded with water from the Laguna Lake. To prevent high levels of sediments in its water -- as measured by turbidity -- Maynilad has cut water production to 2,100 million liters per day from 2,450 million MLD. Maynilad also advised customers to boil their drinking water for three minutes. - GMANews.TV