MCWD: 25,000 cubic meters of desalinated water to be added to supply by year’s end

The MCWD Board led by its chairman Joey Daluz (center) talks about the latest developments of the MCWD during a presser today, June 1. | Wenilyn Sabalo

CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) targets to supply an additional 25,000 cubic meters of desalinated water before 2023 ends to narrow the gap between the supply and demand of its franchise areas.

MCWD general manager Edgar Donoso said that a total of 20,000 cubic meters of desalinated water per day would be provided by the Pilipinas Water Resources Inc. (PWRI), while the other 5,000 cubic meters of water daily would be coming from another desalination plant in Cordova.

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Daily water demand

The MCWD daily demand reaches 600,000 cubic meters, but the water utility can only produce or supply 275,000 cubic meters of water daily.

The 20,000 cubic meters of desalinated water that the PWRI has committed to supply MCWD starting October 2023 is part of its 50,000 desalinated water contract with the water district. The PWRI has a 25,000 cubic meters daily contract with MCWD for each of its plants in barangays Mambaling in Cebu City and Opao in Mandaue City.

Two PWRI contracts and one for Vivant Hydrocore

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Of the 20,000 cubic meters of desalinated water that the PWRI committed to providing in October 2023, 10,000 cubic meters of these will be sourced from PWRI’s desalination plant in Mambaling, Cebu City, while the other 10,000 cubic meters of desalinated water will be sourced from its plant in Opao, Mandaue City.

“Right now, we are so busy preparing for our plants in Mandaue and Cebu City, para [to achieve] our commitment sa (in) MCWD (nga)  matuman inig (that can be realized in) October,” Victoria dela Peña, PWRI president said during a press conference on Thursday, June 1, 2023.

Donoso said that for the desalination plant in Mambaling alone, a total of 30,000 households were expected to benefit once it would become fully operational.

Meanwhile, another desalination plant, the Vivant Hyrdocore Holdings, Inc. is also expected to provide MCWD with 5,000 cubic meters of desalinated water starting in December this year.

Other contracts

Other ongoing desalination contracts

The MCWD also has an ongoing 5,000 cubic meter desalinated water contract with Mactan Rock Industries, Inc. 

As of January 2023, the Mactan Rock Industries, Inc. has been supplying 3,000 to 4,000 cubic meters of water per day and is expected to fully deliver the 5,000 cubic meters of desalinated water this June.

Donoso said these desalinated water contracts would complement the water utility’s other bulk water supply initiatives, including the 15,000 cubic meters of bulk water supplied by the Lusaran Bulk Water Project, that became fully operational in May this year.

Narrowing the gap

Donoso, however, said that at this point, the MCWD was still working on improving its production to narrow the gap between the supply and demand in its franchise area.

“Taas taas pa gyod…That’s why wala pa ta nihunong. Sige pa gihapon ta’g pangita og additional supply,” he said.

(It is still big gap…That’s why we are not stopping yet. We continue to look for additional supply.)

The MCWD is still in negotiation for an additional 200,000-cubic meter desalinated water supply daily from eight potential desalination plants.