The Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) is fast tracking the completion of its numerous water supply improvement and expansion projects for the water districts in compliance with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's directive to facilitate the completion of its projects to ensure that there will be no water supply shortage in view of the EI Niño-induced dry spell.

LWUA also said it has asked the water districts nationwide, especially in the provinces that are now on near-drought condition on account of below normal rainfall for the past four to five months now, to prepare and undertake all appropriate measures to ensure the continuity of basic potable water supply services to their concessionaires in view of the prevailing moderate EI Niño.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has recently confirmed the presence of a moderate EI Niño in the country which it said could extend the dry or rainless spell for the next few months up to late May or early June this year. PAGASA said this could aggravate the already critical water situation in many areas and provinces that received below to way lelow normal rainfall since August of 2009.

PAGASA said the provinces of Capiz and Northern Samar are already on drought or near-drought status since they experienced way below rainfall for the past five months. The agency also listed 21 more provinces mostly in Luzon that are projected to experience dry spells because they received below normal rainfall for the past three to four consecutive months now. These are Benguet, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pamranga, Batangas, Aurora, Quezon, Marinduque, Mindoro, Romblon, Sorsogon, Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur, Aklan, Guimaras, Biliran, Davao del Sur, South Cotabato, Sarangani and Sultan Kudarat.

LWUA said it will particularly focus on these provinces where it has many water districts that provide potable water service to the people to closely monitor the groundwater as well as surface water situations and come up with appropriate programs or recommendations to address possible water shortages.

Surface water sources like rivers, lakes or dams are most susceptible to water supply decline in times of droughts and dry spells while groundwater sources such as springs and deep or shallow wells take a little more time before they exhibit decrease in water yield, LWUA said. The agency therefore will also pay particular attention to water districts using surface water sources.

All water districts meanwhile are advised to optimize their supply by implementing serious leak detection and repair program and campaign against illegal connections as well as wider public information and education drive on the proper use and conservation of water.

January 15, 2010