By Chito Chavez Furious residents scored the water concessionaires for enforcing longer hours of water service interruptions. The affected consumers in Quezon City chided the concerned government agencies for the country’s over reliance on rainfall for the public’s water supply. Residents transfer water in a large container in Brgy. South Triangle in Quezon City. (MARK BALMORES / MANILA BULLETIN) Manila Water Inc. spokesman Jeric Sevilla explained the company which serves the east zone portion said was forced to implement the longer service interruption after the National Water Regulatory Board (NWRB) reduced Manila Water’s allocation another 350 million liters per day or 40 cubic meters per second. He maintained this is the only way by which “we can balance the limited supply in the distribution network. “Medyo ipon muna tayo (Let us meanwhile store water),’’ Sevilla said. Local resident Sonny Andrade decried the past government administrations for their ineptness as they failed to resolve the water crisis which has occurred many times in the past. “Converting sea water to potable water is one solution. That is done in other countries,’’ Andrade said. The affected residents also demanded that they be spared to pay the full amount of their water bills due to the extreme inconvenience they experienced during their ordeal. Lian Marie Halili of Barangay South Triangle aired this demand insisting that NWRB or the Manila Water Company Inc. should also be charged with the damage and other expense the people incurred during the inaccurate advisories or unannounced water supply interruptions. She said people were forced to buy drums and containers even at exorbitant prices just to store water which most of the time came in trickles during wee hours. “For people like me it takes a large chunk of our meager finances to purchase drums and containers that are not within our budget,’’ Andrade said. Halili called on the Quezon City officials to act on their appeal saying “it is a small price for Manila Water to pay’’ for the trouble, annoyance, trouble coupled with the financial drain the water crisis have caused. A furious Vic Pineda of Barangay Obrero went further and wanted the guilty parties jailed for the severe sufferings the people incurred due to their supposed “kapabayaan (negligence), katangahan (ineptness) and pangungurakot (corrupt acts)’’. Expressing his frustration further with his work’s “no work no pay scheme’’, Pineda complained he lost more than one week of basic income which the government cannot pay.