Shangri-la warned on water extraction

http://www.malaya.com.ph/jun12/envi2.html
Malaya June 1, 2006

The National Water Resources Board (NWRB) has issued a warning against Makati Shangri-La Hotel for extracting more groundwater that it is permitted in violation of the Water Code.

NWRB Executive Director Ramon Alikpala said the establishment is permitted to extract water from the underground aquifer by only 0.1 liters per second (LPS) or around 260 cubic meters per month.

But an inspection by NWRB showed that the well used by the hotel is drawing 13.12 LPS of groundwater or 131 times its allowable rate.
This equates to around 34,620 cubic meters per month, which is enough to service some 1,200 households in Metro Manila with a month’s worth of water supply.

Alikpala, in a letter to Makati Shangri-La, ordered the hotel to immediately limit its groundwater extraction to the allowable limits based on its permit issued by the NWRB.

He said appropriate fines and charges will be assessed against the establishment later this week.

NWRB has been saying that over-extraction of water from aquifers has contributed to cause over half of Metro Manila’s water sources to be contaminated with disease-causing bacteria.

To address the rampant extraction of groundwater, NWRB has been coordinating with local government units and water concessionaires Manila Water and Maynilad to identify deep well extractors in the metropolis.

Since 2004, the board has issued over 122 cease and desist orders to commercial establishments in Metro Manila that have been illegally extracting water or those drawing groundwater above the allowable limits of existing permits.