Yesterday, Manila Water announced that certain barangays will experience water shortage ‘till further notice. This is due to La Mesa Dam’s water levels reaching its lowest point ever. A big yikes to all of us.
The list of affected barangays was posted on Manila Water’s Facebook Page. As of today, here are the following places that will experience the cut off: Angono, Antipolo, Binangonan, Cainta, Jalajala, Rodriguez, San Mateo, Taytay, and Teresa, Rizal, as well as in Makati, Mandaluyong, Marikina, Pasig, Pateros, Quezon City, San Juan, Taguig, and parts of Paranaque.
Manila Water’s indicated that the shortage started yesterday and will remain so ’til further notice. It’s a four-hour cutoff that will happen either at night or day, depending on the location. This got me thinking that we may or may not belong in the prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road (‘cause, you know, drought).
According to Inquirer.net, “As of 4 p.m. on Sunday, water elevation at the dam had dropped to 68.93 meters, breaching the 69-meter critical low level. According to Manila Water, its customers in Metro Manila in 2018 required 1,650 MLD (million liters per day).”
But before we all collectively panic, which is what the Manila Water’s comment section is doing right now, let’s address the real enemy here: our wasteful selves.
“Conserving our watersheds is only part of the battle for water security. A large part is on how we consume water. Richer communities in Metro Manila can average about 200 liters per person per day. Think about that. That is one generic blue drum of water per day. The recommended is below 100 liters per person per day,” Paolo Pagaduan of WWF-Philippines informs people in this Facebook post.
So as we all melt in heat as a nation, let’s conserve water this El Niño season. Let’s not leave the water running as we do our skincare routines. Trust us, it’s better than not taking a bath during summer.
‘Til the dam recovers, let’s put our pinkies up and hope for the best.
Still from Spongebob Squarepants