The Philippines was affected by a mild El Niño during 2019, which caused a significantly smaller amount of rainfall to replenish the Angat, Ipo, and La Mesa reservoirs. In fact, during the first week of March 2019, the water level of the La Mesa reservoir reached an all-time low. With the continued rapid depletion of stored water in reservoirs, Manila Water implemented a water augmentation and distribution plan in efforts to conserve water.
In light of the El Niño-driven water crisis severely affecting multiple areas of the metro, the Ateneo de Manila University was quick to respond.
On March 13, 2019, Vice President Fr. Nemesio S. Que issued a memo to the university community regarding water conservation tips. The memo listed multiple water conservation tips, for building, indoor, and outdoor water conservation.
Building water conservation included Install shut-off on water hoses or low volume/high-pressure nozzles (LVHP) or flow constrictors on faucets and showers to save on water. Indoor (offices, cafeteria, and toilets) conservation included the repair of running toilets and leaky pipelines and faucets and the collection of all left-over drinking water for cleaning and watering of plants. In addition, lawn watering was limited and pails and dippers instead of sprinklers were used when watering plants were practiced outdoors.
Aside from this, Sustainability Policies and Guidelines promote conscious water usage, proper treatment, management, and conservation of water within the community.