BY GEROME DALIPE IV
ILOILO City – Consumers of Metro Pacific Iloilo Water (MPIW) will continue to experience low or even no water supply from their faucets in the coming days.
The city’s main water distributor announced yesterday that the water level in Maasin Dam has further dipped to its “closest point to the critical level” due to the El Niño phenomenon.
Since May 2, 2024, the MPIW said the dam water level has dropped from 93.66 to 93.62 meters above sea level (ASL) yesterday, which approaches its closest point to the critical level.
“Concurrently, our water supply production level has decreased from 57.142 to 56.200 million liters per day (MLD), significantly dipping below the critical level,” the firm said.
The water levels in Aganan River, Maasin Weir, Jalaur River, and Tigum River are “plummeting at an alarming rate,” the MPIW said.
“The prolonged dry spell and rising temperatures have led to reduced bulk water production. Consequently, our Bulk Water Suppliers are only able to deliver an average of 60 MLD to MPIW, way below the critical level threshold,” the firm said.
The above situation caught the ire of Mayor Jerry Treñas, who said he was “utterly disappointed” at the water service of MPIW.
Treñas lamented that the city government has become a “water boy” because of how MPIW handled the water crisis.
“This should not be expected from a company like Metro Pacific. I am utterly disappointed with the present situation,” Treñas said during the press briefing.
The mayor said he will be meeting with officials of MPIW, Metro Iloilo Water District, and South Balibago Water Resources, the other water distributor in Iloilo City but specifically serving Jaro district.
In a statement, MPIW apologized to Treñas and all the city’s stakeholders and customers within its service areas for the continued water service interruptions, pointing out that El Niño intensified starting last month.
“We take responsibility for our shortcomings. But what is more important for us is to continue working and finding new solutions so that we can fast-track supply recovery,” said Angelo David Berba, MPIW chief operating officer.
MPIW said it experienced severe water supply shortages with the raw water volume of its bulk water suppliers reaching critically low levels. Levels have fallen to a degree not seen since Typhoon Frank in 2008./PN
