Consequence of El Niño 1997-98 on Manila water resources: new perspectives in water shortage planning and management

El Niño has become a synonym for the natural weather phenomenon caused by periodic changes in
the Pacific Ocean surface temperature distribution. Its most immediate impact is on the rainfall in
the countries of the Pacific rim, although the effect can be traced to other parts of the world.
In Manila, the capital of the Philippines, the latest El Niño occurrence caused one of the worst
droughts in living memory. The private owned water supply company MWSI was forced to operate
under extremely difficult technical, financial and political conditions. A range of emergency
measures have been taken during the crisis. More importantly, the draught highlighted the need for
long term planning and identification of alternative sources of raw water for the city.
ASTRAN - first Asia-Pacific Technical Seminar on Water and Environment. Hong Kong 12th-13th march 1998.