By Francis Allan L. Angelo
Metro Pacific Iloilo Water (MPIW) has rolled out extensive measures to address the water shortage caused by preventive maintenance of one of its bulk water suppliers.
The company has deployed 30 water tankers and installed 180 stationary tanks in areas affected by intermittent water supply to ensure that residents and businesses have access to water during the maintenance period.
Starting October 14, MPIW implemented a revised water supply schedule to ensure that customers receive water at specific times each day while the maintenance work is ongoing.
MPIW Chief Operating Officer Angelo David Berba met with Acting Mayor Jeffrey Ganzon and department heads at City Hall to discuss the company’s action plan.
During the meeting, Berba outlined the steps being taken to mitigate the impact on affected residents and ensure that critical areas continue to receive water.
“We are doing everything we can to minimize inconvenience and maintain reliable service,” Berba said.
The company’s water tankers, with capacities ranging from 7 to 18 tons, make over 100 trips per day to more than 150 water injection points across the city.
In addition to tanker deliveries, MPIW has implemented network adjustments to distribute available water equitably.
The adjustments redirect 40 to 50 million liters of water per day from the Metro Iloilo Bulk Water (MIB) plant in Sta. Barbara to areas impacted by the maintenance.
However, Berba noted that aging pipes, illegal connections, and high levels of non-revenue water may affect water pressure, leading to delays during scheduled supply windows.
“Our operations team pro-actively monitors water pressure and conducts emergency network calibration to ensure water availability,” MPIW stated in an advisory.
Vice Mayor Ganzon commended MPIW for its quick response to the water shortage. “Water is a basic need of our constituents,” Ganzon said. “We are working closely with MPIW to activate additional mitigating measures.”
Berba reassured the public that the water shortage is temporary, explaining that the normal water level of 75 to 79 million liters per day has been reduced by 40 percent due to FloWater’s preventive maintenance.
FloWater Resources Inc., one of MPIW’s suppliers, is conducting repairs on its water treatment plant from October 14 to 21.
Low-lying areas, such as the city proper, are the hardest hit by the water supply issues, primarily because they are at the end of the MPIW water network system.
To address this, MPIW has eight ongoing pipelaying projects in the city and plans to break ground on a desalination plant by the end of the year, which will provide an additional 60 to 65 million liters of water per day.
FloWater assured MPIW that the water supply would resume as early as Saturday, October 19, after maintenance is completed.
The company aims to ensure its plant operates at maximum efficiency to improve service delivery to Iloilo communities.
MPIW has also advised residents to store enough water in preparation for intermittent supply and promised daily updates on the situation.
The public is encouraged to reach out through MPIW’s Facebook page or contact their hotline at (0917) 172-6749 for any concerns.
To strengthen its supply further, MPIW has been working on a desalination plant that will serve as backup. It is also pushing for drawing additional water from the Jalaur Megadam in Calinog, Iloilo which can supply 86 million liters per day of bulk water.
