Tondo residents ‘up in arms’ amid water interruption

Residents in parts of Metro Manila and Cavite have been experiencing water interruptions since Saturday afternoon — sparking frustration, particularly in Tondo, Manila — where the issue originated.

Reports said that a Maynilad pipeline was struck by a backhoe Saturday during ongoing construction of Pritil Market on Nicolas Zamora Street in Tondo, leading to service disruptions in Manila, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas and Cavite.

Jocelyn Saldana, a resident, expressed her dismay, saying, “This is too much trouble for people. It’s unbearable.” She also criticized the delayed information dissemination, which prevented residents from storing water for cooking, bathing and flushing toilets.

On Sunday, residents of Barangay 95 in Tondo were seen lining up with pails and water gallons to get supplies from a Bureau of Fire Protection fire truck.

Maynilad, the water concessionaire, explained that torrential rains Saturday morning complicated repair efforts as a member of Maynilad’s communications team confirmed that repairs were ongoing but extended due to the weather.

In a separate Facebook post, Maynilad announced that site excavation was completed Sunday morning, and dewatering was underway to expose the damaged pipe.

“While our field teams are continuously working, some activities on-site are taking longer due to heavy rain. This is also to ensure the safety of our personnel,” Maynilad said. “Because of this, we need to extend the service interruption to affected customers.”

Maynilad added that mobile water tankers are circulating to supply affected customers, and stationary water tanks are available in select areas.

“Rest assured that our field teams are continuously monitoring and working to immediately fix the damaged line,” Maynilad said. “We will release further updates as needed. We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused and are grateful for your understanding.”