West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. said around 114,000 service connections equivalent to 580,000 customers in Manila, Makati, Pasay and Paranaque are set to experience 20 to 57 hours of water service interruptions next week.
The company said the scenario is a result of a scheduled major leak repair set from 3 p.m. of March 5 until 11:59 p.m.of March 7.
Maynilad said the leak which was discovered during a pipe network inspection using various acoustic leak detection equipment appears to be coming from the lower end of a blow-off assembly connected to a 2,200-millimeter diameter steel pipe located 7 meters underground.
The company said it has to expose the underground pipe to properly assess the extent of the damage and workers will need 52 hours to excavate the site, drain the primary line, repair the damage and energize the affected pipeline.
Ronaldo Padua, Maynilad water supply operations head, said in a briefing yesterday the extent of the damage can be fully assessed 24 hours after the start of the repair process.
Padua added the company may need additional repair time if the problem is deemed worse than expected.
Padua added no traffic re-routing is needed.
To mitigate the impact of the pipe repair activity, Maynilad is installing seven stationary water tanks and deploying 30 mobile water tankers to serve affected areas, particularly those that will experience 57 hours straight of interrupted supply.
The company said it will also tap the assistance of local government units and local fire bureaus to expand the available fleet of water tankers that can help deliver water to affected communities.
Maynilad added that while the service interruption is in place, it will also take the opportunity to conduct parallel activities including leak repairs and pipe inspections in other areas and maintenance works at the Villamor and Espiritu pumping stations which would otherwise require the implementation of separate service disruptions.
The company is also appealing to customers to store enough water for the duration of the interruption.
Once this leak is repaired, Maynilad estimates to recover around 20 to 30 million liters per day of lost water which could thereafter be put back into the system to help boost water pressure in adjacent areas and effectively increase available supply for distribution to customers. – Jed Macapagal
