Tap water in Metro a lot cleaner now, say experts

(2nd of 3 parts) Reynaldo Sarmiento, a resident of Tondo, Manila, will always remember the time his father Aquilino, 70, succumbed to diarrhea after drinking tap water in 2003. Aquilino and seven other Tondo residents died while over 800 more were hit in one of the biggest outbreaks of water-borne diseases in the country in the past decade. “Nagka-phobia na kami doon," says Reynaldo, a Maynilad consumer, who now makes it a point to serve only bottled water at least to his family’s toddlers. Water from the two Metro Manila concessionaires is generally safe, according to experts. But the public is not aware of this fact because they don’t get real-time information on water quality from the agencies. In Metro Manila and surrounding areas, tap water is delivered to homes, offices, and establishments through networks of pipelines managed by Maynilad Water Services Inc. and Manila Water Company Inc., the two water concessionaires in the metropolis. Maynilad and Manila Water derive their mandate from the privatization of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS), which has been tasked since 1971 to deliver potable water to Metro Manila residents and a few surrounding provinces (See Part 1: ‘Dirty’ tap water forces poor to pay more). Stories of death and disease, however, have dirtied the image of Maynilad and Manila Water through the years, spreading through anecdotes and receiving media attention. Tondo, Manila, where the 2003 outbreak occurred, belonged to the concession area of Maynilad. When the outbreak took place, the concession agreement was already in place. Illegal connections, leakages Both concessionaires invariably attribute incidents like the 2003 outbreak to reasons beyond their control, such as illegal connections and poor hygiene. Teresita Mancera, head of Maynilad’s Central Laboratory, says the Tondo outbreak took place in areas where illegal connections proliferated and was therefore not the supplier’s fault. Such connections could lead to leakages that allow contaminants to seep into pipelines, Mancera explains. Reynaldo says his father’s water pipe was legally connected to Maynilad. Mancera points out, however, that a neighbor’s illegal connection could also affect nearby legally connected households. “If you have a neighbor who’s using a pump, it would create negative pressure du’n sa linya (in the pipeline). So…kung may kapitbahay ka na gumagamit ng pump, papasok na ‘yung dirty water," she says. Jeric Sevilla, head of Manila Water’s corporate communications division, shares the same view. “We are tasked to provide them with water, but our [responsibility] ends with the meter," Sevilla says. “From the meter, papasok na sa loob ng either bahay, either subdivision, condominium. That is already the responsibility of the customer." Six water stopovers Both Maynilad and Manila Water vouch for the safety of their water transmission, treatment, and distribution processes. They say that a number of their safety standards even exceed those required by the government. In these processes, a glass of water theoretically travels from as far as Umiray River in Nakar, Quezon, to the two concessionaires’ water treatment plants in Balara and La Mesa in Quezon City. Water makes at least six major stopovers to ensure its quality once it is delivered to individual households in Metro Manila and surrounding areas. The basic process involves the following steps:

• flow of water from Umiray River, to Angat Dam, then to Ipo Dam
• settling process in the Bicti Settling Basin
• delivery of water to La Mesa Treatment Plants 1 and 2, and Balara Treatment Plants 1 and 2
• water treatment involving four processes—including coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection
• distribution of water using gravity and pumping

To kill contaminants in water, chlorine, a chemical disinfectant, is applied at different points of the treatment process. The Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water (PNSDW) monitors the water’s chlorine level. Compliance with drinking water standards is regulated by the Department of Health (DOH), the lead agency tasked to implement the Sanitation Code of the Philippines. In Metro Manila, the DOH-led Metro Manila Drinking Water Quality Monitoring Committee monitors compliance with standards, and publishes water quality pronouncements every month. Both Maynilad and Manila Water say they regularly pass and even exceed a number of PNSDW requirements–in particular, the required level of residual chlorine. This refers to the amount of the chemical remaining in the water once it reaches a customer’s faucet, considering that it gets depleted every time it attacks bacteria and viruses. The PNSDW requires a residual chlorine level of 0.3 parts per million. This means that if water, at the treatment plant, is mixed with 0.7 ppm of chlorine and passes through kilometers of pipelines—with the chlorine killing impurities and getting used up along the way—water should still end up at a household tap with 0.3 ppm of the disinfectant. The PNSDW sets the maximum amount of chlorine, at any point of the distribution system, at 1.5 ppm. Water from Maynilad has a residual chlorine level of 0.85 ppm, while that from Manila Water also has 0.85 ppm, based on the latest water quality report that covered July this year. The pronouncement was issued on August 26. General improvements The water testing processes themselves serve as proof that Metro Manila’s water services have improved since Maynilad and Manila Water took over from MWSS, according to Maynilad’s Mancera. She herself worked at MWSS from the 1980s until 1997, when she was transferred to Maynilad following the privatization of MWSS services. As an example, Mancera cites the number of fixed sampling points in the two companies’ concession areas: 808 for Maynilad and 605 for Manila Water. Mancera notes that before the privatization, MWSS only had 200 to 300 water sampling points for both the West and East Zones–less than a third of the current sampling points of Maynilad and Manila Water combined. “So logistics-wise, we’re better off, which redounds to better customer care, ‘di ba?" She also says Maynilad equips its laboratories with “top of the line" instruments. Both Maynilad and Manila Water add that they have successfully brought down non-revenue water (NRW) or systems losses caused by leaks and defective meters, among other things. The Asian Development Bank defines NRW as “water that a water utility does not receive any compensation for" as a result of leakages, inadequate measurement, and illegal and unauthorized use. In its fact sheet dated March this year, Maynilad reports that it has slashed its NRW level to 50 percent. For its part, Manila Water says it has reduced its NRW level to 11 percent as of 2010. NRW reductions mean more resources to give the public, Manila Water’s Sevilla explains. “Reducing the systems loss and recovering ‘yung tubig na nawawala (the water that is lost) gives us the water to provide to these areas lalo na ‘yung mga depressed communities," he says. Sevilla adds that lower NRW levels remove “potential avenues for contamination." In time for Ondoy Dr. Lino Macasaet, DOH program manager for food-and-water-borne diseases, vouches for the safety of Maynilad and Manila Water’s potable water supplies. Macasaet notes the massive improvement of pipelines by the two concessionaires, the “clear effect" of which was seen when tropical storm Ondoy inundated large portions of Metro Manila in 2009. He says that at that time, the DOH was expecting a rise in the number of cholera and typhoid cases due to water contamination through rusty pipelines. Macasaet recalls that both Maynilad and Manila Water were upgrading their pipes from metal to polymer at around the same period. The DOH assumed that the two companies did not finish their pipe upgrades and therefore stockpiled on water purification tablets and other drugs in anticipation of a waterborne-disease outbreak, according to Macasaet. “[Thankfully], tamang tama lang, natapos (They finished just in the nick of time)," he says. “Mangilan-ngilan lang ‘yung cases ng cholera and typhoid (We only had a few cases of cholera and typhoid)." Pinky Tobiano, a chemist and founder of the independent water laboratory Qualibet Testing Services Corp., also confirms the claims of the two concessionaires. “Tap water in Metro Manila, as long as it is supplied by the two water providers, and as long as the pipes in the homes are intact, there's no problem drinking it," she says. ‘Late’ water quality reports But is the public aware that tap water is safe, as certified by the multi-sectoral water committee and other experts? (See the latest water quality pronouncement in the PDF below) Engr. Jose Carmelo Gendrano, deputy executive director of the Philippine Center for Water and Sanitation, believes that tap water is generally safe. However, he says the monitoring committee has difficulty relaying information on water quality to the public. Gendrano points out that the water quality pronouncements, which are released weeks after the covered period, should come out much earlier. The report covering July, for example, still holds until the middle of September when the August pronouncement is expected to come out. Gendrano says bacteriological, physical, and chemical examinations on water should take only around four days per sampling point. He says water quality reports should be posted online immediately after the testing. “The more real-time ‘yung data na ‘yon, the more confidence meron ‘yung mga tao. Kaysa ‘yung two months ago," he says. Gendrano says delayed data makes it “way too late" for people to take action on water quality. “O halimbawa, start of the rainy season, June ngayon. Ang available na data sa akin is April, dry season pa ‘yon. Eh alam natin, ‘pag rainy season, mas malaki ang chance ng mga outbreaks ng water-borne disease. So kung April pa ‘yon, parang maganda pa ‘yung water quality. Mami-mislead ako," Gendrano explains. The two water companies could also be victims of “slanted information" presented in commercials to persuade consumers to buy bottled water instead, according to Gendrano. “Commercials try to convince you by presenting information which is sometimes not balanced," he says. Mixed feedback Despite advertisements suggesting tap water is unsafe to drink, a growing number of residents are now starting to have faith in Metro Manila’s water supplies. In Tondo, for example, several residents have noticed improvements in water quality, prompting them to drop bottled water in favor of tap. Pedicab driver Renato Mata explains, “Mula noong nagpalit na ng tubo ang Maynilad, ayos na ang takbo. Maski hindi mo na pakuluan ang tubig, inumin mo na nang diretso, wala nang problema," he says. Eric Lacson, another Tondo resident, has abandoned drinking bottled water altogether. “Talagang malinis ngayon, naiinom," he says. Gendrano himself drinks from the tap and doesn’t boil his water. “Kasi matagal na akong umiinom, hindi naman ako nagkakasakit," he says. Yet, even the water quality experts still hold reservations about drinking directly from the tap. Macasaet of DOH, who says water from the two concessionaires is 90 to 100 percent safe to drink, uses a filter for tap water at home. “Just to cover for the other 10 percent," he explains. Meanwhile, Tobiano of Qualibet says she doesn’t mind drinking from the tap “as long as it comes from a safe source," such as her own household. “But I don't think I will drink tap water in a public area, because I'm not sure where the source comes from," she says. - GMA News (Next: Why Malacañang doesn’t serve tap water) This article was produced under the Maggie de Pano Fund for Investigative Reporting on Health. The Fund, which is managed by Newsbreak, is funded through a grant from Macare Medicals Inc. (See the story as posted on the Newsbreak website here)