As the impact of El Niño continues to be felt in the Philippines aggravated by the rising temperatures due to summer heat, Manila Water Philippine Ventures (MWPV), Manila Water’s Non-East Zone subsidiary, has put in place its 2024 El Niño mitigation plan to ensure continuity of water supply in its respective service areas.

Based on the DOST-PAGASA’s February 2024 El Niño outlook, several provinces and cities being served by MWPV may experience dry condition, dry spell, and drought, including Bulacan, Batangas, Laguna, Pangasinan, and Eastern Samar. Currently, MWPV is serving these areas through its business units Bulakan Water, Obando Water, South Luzon Water, Laguna Water, and Calbayog Water.

In DOST’s latest forecast announced late March, 48 provinces are said to be affected by drought and dry spells in April and the number might increase to 54 in May.

Since the start of the year, the Company has been implementing preparedness activities and programs in all its business units, which includes the implementation of Non-Revenue Water (NRW) recovery programs, network improvement projects, deepwell and surface water performance monitoring and rehabilitation, pressure management recovery, and preventive maintenance and management of its facilities.

In addition, mitigation programs and initiatives are also established such as the optimization of network influence areas and reservoir utilization, switching between supply- and demand-based operations when necessary, and the exploration and development of new water sources.

In the event of a prolonged El Niño, MWPV has set countermeasures which include readiness of water tankers, water supply augmentation measures through installation of static tanks and use of interconnectivity network lines, operation of standby deepwells and in-line boosters, and optimization of backwash recovery program in the water treatment plants.

“Since the onset of El Niño last year, we have been proactive in applying effective measures to make sure that water service will continue despite challenges. As the phenomenon continues to take effect in the coming months, we assure our customers that we will remain hands-on in adopting strategies to enhance resiliency of our water sources and facilities.” said Melvin John Tan, Chief Operating Officer of Manila Water Non-East Zone.