DENR airs concern over water leaks in houses, buildings

MANILA, Philippines — There is a higher percentage of leaky water pipes in households and buildings compared to pipes along roads in Metro Manila, an official of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) warned even as Angat Dam’s water level continued to drop yesterday.

DENR Undersecretary Carlos David called on residents to check their water meter when nobody is using water to determine if there are leaks in the pipes.

“If it’s moving without anybody using it, there is a leak. Report it. That’s the responsibility of the homeowner,” he said.

David said more than 25 percent of pipes lining Metro Manila’s roads have leaks, “and the leaks in the houses and buildings will be much more than that.” He did not specify a figure.

As of 8 a.m. yesterday, the water level of Angat had dropped by 0.40 meters compared to its previous level of 185.18 meters. It was 27.22 meters below its normal high water elevation of 212 meters.

It is only 4.78 meters above its minimum operating water level of 180 meters.

While the National Water Resources Board decided to maintain the allocation of 50 cubic meters per second for Maynilad and Manila Water until May 15, the NWRB needs to bring it down by one cms or to 49 cms beginning May 16, David said.

He assured the public that despite the impending decrease in the water allocation for Metro Manila, there would still be no interruptions. –