Iloilo water supply normal, but El Niño plan is ready

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

Metro Pacific Iloilo Water (MPIW), which serves the majority of metropolitan Iloilo, said on Wednesday, May 20, that water levels remain stable, but it is ready to respond anytime should they drop to critical levels.

MPIW data as of noon on Tuesday, May 19, indicated that supply levels stayed within the normal operating range, with a water level of 94.89 meters at the Maasin Dam and production of 80.76 million liters per day (MLD).

Water levels are considered normal at 94.85 m and critical at 94.80 m, while normal production is 80 MLD and critical production is 73 MLD.

MPIW draws water from three main sources: its Sta. Barbara water treatment plant (42 MLD), its Maasin water treatment plant (3.4 MLD), and the FLO Water bulk supply (30 MLD).

MPIW Chief Operating Officer Angelo David Berba said there is nothing to worry about at this point, and assured the public that the company is monitoring current weather conditions.

“It is still in [the] green, [and] we don’t have anything to worry about yet. Water supply production is still normal at 80 MLD, so we still don’t have anything to worry about,” Berba said at a press conference on Wednesday.

“[Water levels are still] normal. That is our key message, but we will keep monitoring. Next month, we [are only expecting] mild El Niño,” he added.

Berba also said the current El Niño predictions are unusual, noting that the events occur only every three years.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has placed Metro Iloilo on alert for El Niño, with a 79 percent probability of emergence as early as between June and August this year, persisting into early 2027.

Berba acknowledged the dry spell would affect supply, citing the company’s experience in 2024, when water supply fell by 26 MLD to 54 MLD during the first and second weeks of May that year.

“There will be rain, but lesser rainfall this year, so we’re still hoping that it will not have a significant impact [between] August [and] September, and towards the end of the year,” the COO said.

MPIW Operations Division head Jedd Allen Roxas said the company has put in place a “phased response plan” that scales mitigation measures in proportion to the severity of supply reduction, covering operational interventions and longer-term infrastructure investments.

The supply schedule is as follows:

• 80 MLD (normal) — 14 to 18 hours a day of stable supply, with minimal tanker support
• 70 MLD (moderate) — 10 to 14 hours a day of rotational supply scheduling, with increased tankers
• 60 MLD (critical) — 6 to 10 hours a day of wider supply rotation, with heavy tanker deployment
• 50 MLD (worst case) — 0 to 6 hours a day of strict supply rotation, with maximum tanker operations

Other preparatory activities already underway include the deployment of more than 20 water tankers across service areas to augment piped supply, 24-hour engineering teams monitoring supply schedules in real time, continuous leak detection and repair to recover lost water volumes, and the installation of static tanks and draw-off points in affected communities.

Berba also laid out a communication plan to ensure information is widely disseminated, including press conferences, social media postings, radio announcements, coordination with barangay captains, and flyers attached to water bills, among others.