Despite rains, MCWD’s surface water supply still not enough – Kara

The Jaclupan dam in Talisay City has dried up as a result of the extreme heat that was experienced in September. | Photo courtesy of MCWD

CEBU CITY, Philippines –The Mactan Island station of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services (Pagasa) has recorded an average rainfall volume of 188.5 millimeters for the month of October.

Pagasa said that the Metro Cebu’s rainfall volume has already reached its normal level following the heavy rains experienced in the last few days.

But Charmaine Kara, spokesperson of the Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD), said that surface water supply has remained low.  Metro Cebu’s rains was not enough to replenish surface water that was lost as a result of the very humid temperature in the last few months.

Kara said that since raining was also scattered, it did not have much effect on the Mananga and the Buhisan watersheds.

“So far walay (improvement) kay it didn’t rain near the Mananga Watershed or the Buhisan Watershed,” she said.

The Buhisan Dam remains at a critical level producing only 1,300 cubic meters per day while the Jaclupan Dam averages 22,000 cubic meters per day.

With the shutting down of some wells in Consolacion town in September 2019, MCWD’s average daily production dropped to 216,000 cubic meters, which is way far from its average daily production of 247,000 cubic meters.

Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella told CDN Digital in an interview earlier today, October 28, 2019, that the presence of leaks on MCWD’s water distribution system is a major contributor to Metro Cebu’s water crisis.

Labella said that Metro Cebu’s non-water revenue (NRW) is around 50 percent of the actual volume of water that MCWD distributes on a daily basis.  This was even higher than that of Metro Manila, Labella added.

To address the problem, Labella said that he has asked the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) if they city government can shoulder the cost of fixing old and already damaged MCWD pipes worth at least P500 million.

Labella expressed his disappointment for members of the MCWD Board of Directors because of their failure to immediately address the problem.

“It is disappointing that this problem of (leaking water) pipes (have) remained unresolved for so many years. We have to find our own solution to this,” he said in a phone interview with CDN Digital.

Labella expressed fear that drought may be experienced in Metro Cebu summer of 2020 if MCWD’s leak problems will remain unaddressed.

To remedy the water shortage in Cebu City, MCWD has already started to sent at least four new truck-mounted Mobile Siphon Tank (MST) to provide water supply to gravely affected barangays including Carreta in the downtown area and Lusaran and Cambinocot in the city’s mountains.

The water district is continuously reminding Cebuanos to save water while they continue to find means to solve the water crisis. / dcb