Not all Cebu residents may be experiencing a water supply problem right now but with the El Niño dry spell possibly reaching November, the problem will catch up with them.
Some upland upland barangays are starting to feel the pinch.
No wonder. The Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) said its Jaclupan weir in Talisay City was producing only 20,000 cubic meters a day instead of the the normal 33,000 cubic meters.
Twelve barangays in Talisay City are affected. So are parts of central Cebu City, where low water pressure is experienced during peak hours in the morning and afternoon.
While the MCWD said the problem isn’t alarming, it’s better to be prepared.
Every summer, the Buhisan Dam, always dries up. That’s only 5 percent of the water district’s supply.
But a sharp drop in water production of the Jaclupan weir in Talisay, a major supply source of MCWD, adds an urgent dimension. The overall deficit in the water district was about 8,000 cubic meters in an advisory of April 20.
Last month, farmers in Cebu City’s uplands were knocking on the doors of city officials to ask for the hoses and drums promised to them by the City Agriculture Office.
Whether it’s due to red tape or monkey business, the delay has forced Cebu City farmers to borrow from others to stock up water in drums lest they lose their crops to a blistering dry spell.
This is the time we need the Carmen bulk water to cushion the blow. The consortium’s venture in north Cebu, tapping the bountiful Luyang river, started injecting water in the MCWD system in January. How is that going now?
A status report from its biggest client, MCWD, would be useful at this time.
Metro Cebu can’t take potable water for granted. There are many things responsible consumers can start doing this summer.
For starters, families can recycle water used for bathing and washing dishes. A simple palangana or basin in the kitchen sink and the bathroom can catch gray water to be used for watering plants, flushing the toilet and washing cars.
Stay alert for leaking pipes in housholds and even roads, where layers of asphalt and concrete and hide age-old pipes that have worn out. Report the wasted water immediately to MCWD or send a picture to CDN’s Siloy is Watching corner.
Hotels and resorts know that a big volume of water is used for laundry of towels and beddings that can actually be changed less frequently.
The smarter we are about conserving water now, the less likely we’ll be groaning over faucets that no longer yield water when we need it.