Continuous And Enhanced Water Supply Services In All Areas Of Operation Under Threat Of COVID-19
In line with Presidential Proclamation No. 922 of March 9, 2020, Declaring a State of Public Health Emergency Throughout the Philippines, and Memorandum from the Executive Secretary dated 16 March 2020 on the Community Quarantine over the Entire Luzon and to promote effective management of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) situation or prevent further occurrence/outbreak of said Disease in other areas, unhampered delivery of safe water supply services to individual households and communities is highly essential to maintain personal hygiene and good health. Therefore, all water utilities/ water service providers are hereby directed to do or perform the following, viz :
1. Submit a Waterworks Operation Action Plan on or before March 31, 2020, detailing therein appropriate measures/actions to ensure and maintain, if operationally feasible, a twenty-four-hour daily (24/7) continuous, steady, and uninterrupted supply of safe water within your respective areas of operation
2. In the higher interest of public service and for the common good of the people, provide water to individual persons, households, and persons or entities performing functions or duties that are essential to the interest of public health, safety and welfare, who are in need but without available water supply within or outside your respective areas, at a minimal or if necessary and to promote human rights, of no cost to the needy.
3. Refrain from disconnecting water supply to individual households for the duration of the State of Public Health Emergency, unless the reason is to conserve or control wanton or excessively wasteful use of precious safe water; should the latter be the case, do not hesitate to report and ask for police assistance.
4. Should it be impracticable or when the prevailing situation makes it improbable for the water utility operator to conduct meter-reading according to its usually or regularly calendared period, the water utility/service provider concerned may or may not issue a Statement of Account until actual reading of individual meters has been undertaken.
After actual reading of meters has been undertaken, water utilities should consider the best interest of the consuming public in determining the appropriate billing computations and according to their water rates as approved by the regulation authority.
5. Report or immediately notify the National Water Resources Board (NWRB), of any interruption or stoppage of water supply/service operation, whether partly or totally, or any complaint with regard to quality of water, and the measures or actions taken on such complaint/s.
In furtherance thereof, all reports or notices shall be submitted to the official e-mail addresses, as listed/provided herein: (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). For facility and uniformity of reporting, please use the report form (WUD Emergency Report Form No. 1) that can be downloaded from the NWRB website.
For strict compliance.
DR. SEVILLO D. DAVID, JR., CESO III
Executive Director
