MCWD eyes more dams to ensure water supply

THE Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) is looking into building more dams to augment the province’s water supply in the coming years.

In yesterday’s 888 News Forum, Astrophel Logarta, MCWD department manager for production and distribution, said potential areas for building a dam are the Mananga River in barangay Bonbon, Talisay City and the Cotcot River in barangay Lusaran, Liloan town.

MCWD only has the 100-year-old Buhisan dam that produces five to 10,000 cubic meters of water daily.

“We need P10 billion for a dam and we can’t do it alone. We also need the government’s help to build this facility,” Logarta said.

Water production fell  below normal due to the El Niño dry spell.

The recent rains helped restore the water level in some water sources only to dry up due to below-normal rainfall this month, Logarta said.

He told reporters that the Jaclupan water facility is producing 25,000 cubic meters of water daily, down from its usual 33,000 cubic meters of water in a day.
Logarta said the Buhisan dam  is producing half of its 10,000 cubic meter output.

“It (production and supply) is still manageable. We also assure the public that the water supply will be maximized by the consumers,” he said.

MCWD is now using pump boosters and valves to ensure efficient water distribution in Metro Cebu.

But he said elevated areas like barangays Lahug and Banawa in Cebu City experience low water levels especially during peak hours.

The Mactan office of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services (Pagasa) said Cebu recorded 120 millimeters of rainfall this month which is below the usual rate of 203.7 millimeters recorded every July.

Due to  low rainfall, Logarta reiterated the MCWD’s call on its consumers to conserve and maximize the use of water.