The Philippines asked Singapore for help as the water crisis in Manila is getting worst. People living in Metro and Rizal areas are the most affected in the water shortage and residents endure days without running water in their homes.
Currently, people in Manila receives water rations from the local government agencies to ease the crisis as water supply is being cut off from six to 21 hours everyday.
GMA News reported that President Rodrigo Duterte has sought assistance from Singapore because he wants to try solving the problem through water desalination process that SG has been using for decades. The president relayed his message through Singapore's new ambassador to the Philippines, Gerard Ho Wei Hong.
"We need a lot of advice from Singapore and I'm sure those advice will go a long way to help us solve our problem especially water," Duterte told Ho while in a meeting at Malacanang Palace this week. "I know Israel and Singapore have the best operating machines about desalination."
It was stated that Duterte expressed interest in desalination process because, like Singapore, the Philippines is also located in an area surrounded by the seas. According to ABS-CBN News, at present SG has at least three desalination plants and the country is set to construct two more which is expected to be completed by 2020.
At any rate, the root cause of the ongoing water crisis in the Philippines is the El Nino. The extremely hot weather is dying up the dams where one of the main water supply companies, Manila Water, is sourcing its water from. In particular, the Angat Dam already reached its dangerous level and this why the company had to limit the amount of water that it released to the public every day.
The other water reservoir, which is the La Mesa Dam, is also dying up due to the extreme heat and lack of rainwater to replenish what was lost.
The government is blaming Manila Water for the crisis but the company defended itself by saying that the officials have been delaying its request for the construction of more water facilities and a new dam that will be funded by China.
Meanwhile, with the unresolved water shortage problem, Manila Water's CEO Ferdinand dela Cruz offered to step down from his post. The chief made this statement after Duterte threatened to scrap Manila Water's contract with the government, The Straits Times reported.
