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Friday, March 29, 2024

‘Laguna lake key to NCR water woes’

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AS hundreds of thousands of billed customers in Metro Manila reel from recurring water shortages, a lawmaker on Sunday said Laguna Lake is key to 24-hour water supply for all Metro Manila
homes.

In a statement, Makati City Rep. Luis Campos Jr., a member of the House Committee on Metro Manila Development, said the water supply problem still has to do with the insufficient raw water coming from Angat Dam in Bulacan.

At present, the solon said Manila Water Co. Inc. and Maynilad Water Services Inc. are drawing only a combined 361 million liters of water per day from Laguna Lake.

In contrast, the MWSS’s two private water concessionaires are getting a combined 3.9 billion liters daily from Angat.

“A large number of billed consumers in Metro Manila still have limited water supply. They enjoy running water only for nine to 16 hours daily, while others have it less than eight hours,” Campos said.

“In one service area for instance, some 187,000 connections or 1.24 million residents have running water supply anywhere from less than eight hours to no more than 19 hours per day,” Campos said, citing figures from the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS).

The lawmaker said Laguna Lake, as the country’s largest inland waterhole, can be tapped to ensure the capital’s water security amid rapid consumption growth and recurring dry spells due to harsh climate change.

“This is why Congress has to move fast in declaring Laguna Lake as a primary source of water supply for Metro Manila, alongside Angat,” Campos said.

“It makes no sense for us to continue to rely on Angat to supply 90 percent of Metro Manila’s water demand, when we have a natural water hoard in Laguna Lake that is three times bigger than Angat,” he said.

“Laguna Lake is the key to providing round-the-clock running water to every home in Metro Manila, even if we have another severe drought due to harsh climate change,” Campos said.

Campos is co-author of House Bill 737, which seeks to proclaim and harness Laguna Lake as the other main source of sustainable water supply for Metro Manila. Muntinlupa City Rep. Ruffy Biazon originally authored the bill.

Read full article on BusinessMirror

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