Manila Water CEO says ‘sorry’ for water woes
Credit to Author: cbibe| Date: Mon, 18 Mar 2019 00:38:54 +0000
MANILA, Philippines — The chief executive officer (CEO) of the Manila Water Company, Inc. apologized on Monday over the concession’s “supply deficit situation” since March 6.
“Your honor, sa pamamagitan po ng tulong ninyo, ipinararating ko bilang pangulo ng Manila Water ang paghingi ng kapatawaran sainyong mga constituents… I am holding myself accountable for the sudden drop of our service levels,” Ferdinand Dela Cruz said at the beginning of the House of Representatives’ Metro Manila development committee discussion.
“Alam ko po ang hirap na dinaranas ng inyong constituents may kaya man po o mahirap,” he added.
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Dela Cruz said the supply deficit would last until before the end of the dry season. However, he said they were continuing to implement their contingency plan to address the “water shortage” which he attributed to the low water level at the La Mesa dam.
“Noon pong nagsimulang mag-serbsiyo ang Manila Water ipinangako namin na hindi na kayo magpipila-balde at maghihintay ng nagrarasyon ng tubig ngunit nung nakaraang linggo binigo ko kayo,” the official admitted.
Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System Administrator Reynaldo Velasco said their short-term solutions include Maynilad’s transfer of water allocation to Manila Water at the La Mesa portal, energization of 100 million liters per day (MLD) Cardona Rizal Water Treatment Plant, cross border gate valve opening, reactivation of standby 101 deep wells, and deployment of mobile water tankers.
Meanwhile, Velasco said long-term solutions entail the building of the new Centennial Water Source, possible new water sources by rehabilitation existing dams, as well as the construction of tunnels and aqueduct. /cbb
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