ILOILO — The water level at the Maasin Dam in Iloilo province has dropped to a critical level amid extreme heat and the prolonged absence of rainfall, prompting Metro Pacific Iloilo Water (MPIW) to place its operations under alert status and warn consumers of possible water shortages across Iloilo City and nearby towns.
MPIW, one of the major water distributors serving Iloilo City and neighboring municipalities, confirmed in a public advisory that the Maasin Dam — one of its key raw water sources — has already reached “Red Alert Level Status” as of May 16 due to continuously declining water levels.
The dam’s water level was measured at 94.59 meters, already below the 94.80-meter above sea level threshold considered critical.
The worsening situation has also affected MPIW’s production capacity, which has fallen to 78 million liters per day (MLD), slightly below its normal operating level of 80 MLD and now under “Yellow Alert Status.”
MPIW said the yellow alert category covers production levels ranging from 74 MLD to 79 MLD.
“The water level at Maasin Dam remains low due to the recent period of extreme heat and high temperatures. As a result, raw water production is still at a low level, and we are now under Yellow Alert Status,” MPIW said in its advisory.
MPIW also disclosed that the Sta. Barbara Water Treatment Plant — one of its bulk suppliers — is now experiencing low treated water levels because of the prolonged dry conditions and continuing rise in temperatures.
As a result, several areas in Iloilo City and Iloilo province may experience low water pressure or no water supply.
Affected areas include the whole of Santa Barbara except barangays Balabag and Jibao-an; parts of Pavia East including Puroks I to IV, Tigum, Cabugao Sur, Mali-ao, Pal-agon, Amparo, Aganan, Ungka I and II, and Parc Regency subdivisions; as well as Molo, Arevalo, City Proper, Mandurriao, La Paz, Diversion Road areas, and several barangays in Jaro district, in Iloilo City.
MPIW advised affected consumers to store enough water while supply remains unstable.
“Once the water is back to normal, please let the water flow briefly until the water clears,” the company added./PN
