Two-in-a-tub to ease water squeeze
MANILA, Phillipines (Reuters) -- Couples in the Philippine capital of Manila could find themselves in hot water after being asked to start sharing the tub at bath time as part of a conservation drive.
"Start sharing baths with your partner to conserve water," the environment department has advised the parched capital's 12 million residents.
Unseasonably dry weather has depleted water levels in the main reservoirs supplying the metropolis and officials were meeting on Friday to consider rationing and other measures.
Environment Secretary Elisea Gozun warned things could get worse before the monsoon season begins in May and said officials were "sounding the alarm early to avoid a water shortage."
As a haze of pollution masked blue skies over Manila on Friday, the weather bureau said fewer typhoons than normal at the end of last year caused water levels to drop and that the city could not expect a rainy reprieve for several months.
To hurry things along, officials plan to start cloud-seeding to raise water levels in the reservoir.
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