Cebu City’s Sambag residents get free water rations from MCWD

Sambag residents ready their drums and plastic containers to store water from the free water ration of the Metro Cebu Water Development on Saturday, April 6. | Zena V. Magto

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Maria Sandra Merida, 58, has not had running water in their home for almost five days now.

This goes to majority of the residents living in Sitio Pailob, Barangay Sambag 1 in Cebu City.

Barangay Sambag I have been experiencing drastic water shortages due to the dry spell.

This situation prompted Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) to send a water truck to Barangays Sambag I and II today, April 6, to deliver water to sitios with little to no water source.

Read more: MCWD to ration water in 2 Cebu City brgys today

The 58-year-old housewife immediately brought out three water drums, six plastic containers, a small pail and three wash basins that she could fill with water from the water truck.

Merida said that this amount of water would last for up to two days, which she would use for washing, bathing and cooking.

There are three of them in their household, including her 5-year-old granddaughter and her husband, Pablo Merida, a 59-year-old jeepney driver.

“Daginot gyud mi sa amo tubig kay ang amo ipang laba gani amo na gani ipondo para ma flush na mo sa CR,” lamented Merida. 

(We save water as much as we can. The water that we use in washing clothes we have to set aside for flushing the toilet.)

Prior the distribution, residents like Merida would resort to buying water from refilling stations, which costs P5 per gallon.

She would spend P20 per day just so they could have water to use.

Read more: El Niño Phenomenon: MCWD starts water rationing in elevated barangays

Meanwhile, Lilibeth Ayuso, 53, experienced drastic water disruptions since last week

Ayuso, a resident in Sitio Tangkongan in Barangay Sambag I, runs a small eatery which operates every afternoon.

The water in their household would usually just run from 5 a.m. until 7 a.m. then would come back at 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Ayuso has to stock water so they could have water to use for their necessities and her small business.

“Lisud kaayo kay ma timing sad (ma wala ang agas) buntag nya ang among negosyo diri kay kan-anan, mag luto. Lisud kaayo walay panghugas,” said Ayuso.

(It’s difficult because the timing is bad — it would really happen in the morning and my business is an eatery, which involves cooking. It’s difficult to wash the dishes.)

Ayuso lives in a household of four, including her 22-year-old daughter, who has to go to school every day.

The MCWD will be servicing both barangays via water trucks until 12 midnight today.

“Hinaot nga mag sige’g agas ang tubig ba kay gamit gyud baya ta’g tubig everyday diba, unya ang mga bata maka ligo, ma healthy sad ang mga bata nga presko sad sila ba,” said Merida.

(I hope that the water supply would not be disrupted because water is very important to our every day use like in our children taking baths. It would be healthy for our children that they are clean and fresh.)/dbs