Residents of barangay San Roque in Cebu City draw water from a deep well on Palma Street, corner McArthur Boulevard due to low water pressure in this January 2015 photo.
The El Niño and summer heat is taking its toll on water production.
The Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) called on the public to conserve water due to low water production in its water facility in Jaclupan, Talisay City.
It said the low output in Jaclupan currently at 20,000 cubic meters a day from the normal production of 33,000 cu. meters is due to the “intense, dry season.”
For April 20, water production was below target by 8,163 cubic meters, according to the water district’s advisory.
The shortage is affecting 12 barangays of Talisay City in the south and central Cebu city including elevated areas which have low water pressure to no water during peak hours of use in the morning to afternoon.
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Residents were advised to store water during off-peak hours.
Cebu City Mayor Mike Rama said he met with the Cebu City Hilly Land Management Board to address the situation and asked the Quick Response Team (QRT) under Cebu City Councilor Dave Tumulak to help out.
“I don’t like to use the word “disaster”, [just] quick response. I also told the team to bring in private tankers and include the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) to help the MCWD,” Rama said.
MCWD spokesperson Charmaine Rodriguez-Kara said the situation was not alarming.
“We are still managing our supply through distribution management. Our surface water sources only compromise 20 percent of production capacity,” she said.
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