Manila Water Company: In case of big quake, water supply assured, says water firm

In case of big quake, water supply assured, says water firm

Posted: Wednesday May 2, 2007

An intensity-8 earthquake hits Metro Manila. All the bridges and major thoroughfares collapse, isolating Quezon City and the other municipalities in the capital region. Communication lines are down. The tremor knocks out all electricity lines. All but water services are intact.

This is not a vision of doomsday. The scenario is part of the Major Incident Preparedness Drill of the Manila Water Company staged yesterday at its San Juan Logistic Warehouse Stockyard.

The goal of participants from the local government and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) was to ensure the continuity of the supply of clean water should such a disaster occur.

Dire Scenario

The dire scenario begins with the activation of the Marikina fault line which damages roads and bridges connecting the areas in the east zone of Metro Manila, including various pipelines delivering water to the cities of Makati, Pasig, Mandaluyong, Marikina, Quezon City and San Juan, Taguig and Pateros.

Twenty incident management teams are immediately dispatched from four staging areas in Antipolo, Pasig City, Makati City-Taguig and Quezon City. They are given two hours to mobilize facility managers, business continuity personnel, administrative support providers, first aid workers and BFP operatives.

Jeric T. Sevilla, Jr. of the Corporate Communications office of Manila Water explained that the continuity of water service to their five million customers is their goal and incident management teams are given a free hand to develop their own strategies to achieve it.

“Even our contractors, those collecting the bills, are part of the action. Should all communication lines be down, these bill collectors can go around to the households and act as messengers,” Sevilla said.

Drills conducted

At least four drills were conducted starting from Antipolo, which ran from 4-6 a.m.; in Pasig City from 6-8 a.m.; at global City, from 8-10 a.m., and lastly at the San Juan stockyard from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Manila Water personnel, trailed by firefighting units from the different municipalities and local government employees, proceeded to the different pumping stations. While water from the different pumping stations are diverted, pipeline repairs are undertaken.

“This is as annual readiness drill. It is important because we are engaged in a very vital service, water distribution,” Antonino Aquino, Manila Water president, told Inquirer.

He said that the drill hopes to ensure that all area service teams of the company are able to properly respond to any contingency and act on their own to solve the problem.

Yesterday’s drill was the second of its kind. Last year, a typhoon scenario was simulated.

Reprinted from the Philippine Daily Inquirer by Jeannette I. Andrade