MCWD deploys mobile siphon tanks in 2 Cebu City barangays

A Mobile Siphon Tank (MST).  | contributed photo by MCWD

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Metropolitan Cebu Water District or MCWD recently deployed two Mobile Siphon Tanks (MSTs) in barangays Cambinocot and Bonbon.

This move was part of MCWD’s efforts to mitigate the impact of the El Niño weather phenomenon in Cebu City’s mountain barangays, according to its press release on Monday.

According the MCWD in its website, an MST is a state-of-the-art equipment that takes water from rivers, lakes, ponds and other surface water sources, converting these into a clean and potable water onsite.

READ: El Niño impact: 30M liters of water lost due to dry spell, says MCWD

The truck-mounted MST installed in Barangay Cambinocot is worth approximately P15 million and can produce up to seven cubic meters of potable water per hour or up to 168 cubic meters of water per day.

This potable water output can be shared with the residents of Pulangbato, Binaliw, and Sirao.

Meanwhile, the stationary MST installed in Barangay Bonbon produces 480 cubic meters of water per day or up to 20 cubic meters of potable water per hour, serving residents of Buot, Pamutan, Subangdaku, and Babag.

“All other barangays are also permitted to fetch water from the two MSTs,” MCWD said.

READ: El Niño to persist until May, Cebu must brace for dry spell

Both MSTs were donated to MCWD by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in 2016.

Moreover, despite the ongoing leadership issue at MCWD, the water district said that the Cebu City government will cover the expenses for fuel used to run the machines, while the barangays and the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CCDRRMO) have deployed personnel to secure the two MSTs.

The water district has also deployed its own personnel to operate the machines and will also cover the expenses for purifying agents.

The MCWD said that the mountain barangays are not yet its consumers, as the water district has yet to install distribution lines there.

“When calamity strikes and our fellow Cebuanos are affected, we will always set aside our differences and prioritize the welfare of the residents. The mountain barangays are not yet served by MCWD, but we cannot simply watch them suffer from the effects of El Niño. We have to help,” MCWD Chairman Jose Daluz III said.

Daluz, visited and inspected the sites where the MSTs were on April 7, Sunday. He was accompanied by BOD Secretary May Seno, General Manager Edgar Donoso, Assistant General Manager for Operations Edgar Ortega and personnel of Production and Distribution Department (PDD).

The MCWD said that the MST utilizes a submersible pump to siphon water from rivers or other surface water sources into water bladders or large plastic tanks.

READ: MCWD told to explain ‘water shortage’ in Mandaue brgys

Raw water is stored in the first water bladder or plastic tank, then treated with polyaluminum chloride to remove turbidity.

Sodhypochlorite, a disinfecting agent, is added using an electromagnetic pump before passing through a specialized sand filter.

The purified water is stored in the second water bladder as backwash water, used to clean the filter sand.

Backwashing is typically performed once a day for approximately seven minutes. Once the second tank is filled, the purified water automatically flows to the third tank, equipped with four faucets for residents’ use.

The MCWD said that they have been deploying water trucks daily to the barangays severely affected by the scarcity of water supply due to the reduction in daily water production caused by the ongoing drought in the country. 

READ: Brace for longer dry spell before La Niña – DOST