Buhisan Dam reaches critical level

The water level of the Buhisan Dam is lower because of the dry season but MCWD assured there is enough supply from other sources for consumers this summer. (CDN FILE PHOTO)

With the onset of the dry season, the water level of the Buhisan Dam has lowered to  a critical level.

But there’s no need to worry about this seasonal trend since the dam in the hills of Cebu City only supplies about five percent of Metro Cebu Water District’s  total production of more 220,000 cubic meters per day.

Public information manager Charmaine Rodriguez-Kara explained that the drop in the reservoir’s level is normal during summer  as its three tributaries are affected by the dry season.

The 103-year-old Buhisan Dam usually produces 7,000 cubic meters of water a day but presently yields  3,000 cubic meters.

During the  El Niño three years ago, the Buhisan Dam’s production reached zero, she recalled.

Kara assured that MCWD  has sufficient water supply to serve its consumers in the four cities and four municipalities of Metro Cebu.

MCWD relies mostly on its groundwater sources. The commissioning of the bulk water supply from the Luyang River in  Carmen river    in January this year will also make up for the supply lost from the dam. The Cebu Manila Water Development (CMWD) Inc. supplies 18,000 cubic meters of water daily to MCWD making its total production to 220,000 cubic meters a day.

In a month, the water district is also scheduled to commission a well in barangay Kalunasan which can produce up to 1,200 cubic meters of water a day.

Since  Cebu has already experienced the worst case of El Niño, MCWD is prepared for the dry season, said Kara.

Neverthless,  the water district is advising the public to conserve water and  to store water during off-peak hours or at times when fewer people use water when there is low or intermittent supply.

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