National Emergency Committee (NEC) Chairman and Vice President Raynold Oilouch announced in an event yesterday at the Division of Marine Law Enforcement (DMLE) that Palau’s water supply level is now going up.
The data from NEC as of April 10 also revealed that the water level of the Ngerimel Dam, which had been shut down on April 5, had increased at 10 feet and six inches. Previously its water level had dropped down to 7 feet and 11 inches, hence, prompting authorities to temporarily shut it down to allow it to recharge.
With the current situation brought by the reported increase of the water supply, the mandatory water rationing hours still remains but had now been cut down to seven hours from the previous eight-hour water rationing.
Water supply cut off for Koror and Airai is now at every 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. starting last April 10.
“Our water conservation efforts since our first water shortage alert on March 20 have proven positive. We must continue to conserve water and allow Ngerimel dam to recharge,” NEC stated on its April 10 advisory.
“We expect rain in the coming weeks. We hope that rain will fall over the dams and its watersheds. Water conservation is something that we can control and is of great importance right now,” Press Secretary Olkeriil Kazuo said in an e-mail sent to Island Times.
In spite of the latest development, NEC continues to ask the cooperation of the public in continuing to “use water wisely and for essential use only.” (Rhealyn C. Pojas/Reporter)