Cebu City’s upland barangays consider rationing water

UPLAND barangays in Cebu City plan to start rationing water if there will be no rains next week.

Although no barangay has yet requested for water rationing in their areas, some are already contemplating on doing so, including Barangay Sudlon I.

Barangay Captain Dante Tabucal said they might start requesting City Hall’s Department of Public Services (DPS) to lend them water tankers to ration water in sitios in the barangay starting next week.

“Medyo nikunhod na gyud ang sources sa tubig nga mga springs diri. Nihinay na gyud ang tinubdan kay wala nay uwan-uwan in the past weeks. Usual hinuon ni nga problema karon nga huwaw,” Tabucal said. (Sources from springs here have started drying up. The sources have decreased because of the absence of rains in the past weeks. But this is usual during dry spells.)

He said if there will be no rains next week, then they’ll consider the idea.

He said they would usually do the rationing twice a week in affected sitios where people will just leave their barrels outside to be filled with water by water tankers from City Hall.

FARMERS’ WOES

As for their farmers, Tabucal said they continue to harvest from springs. But if the hot weather continues, their sources might also dry up.

An irrigation system was supposed to help around 200 families of farmers in Sudlon,  but it had to be stopped since the farmers association managing the system has failed to pay their electricity bills with the Cebu Electric Cooperative (Cebeco). They have unpaid bills reaching P50,000, which the farmers association can’t pay because of lack of funds.

Tabucal said they will meet with City Hall officials including the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) on how to address their concern.

ABC president Philip Zafra said he will call a meeting with all barangay captains, especially those from the mountain barangays, tomorrow (Wednesday) to discuss their concerns on the water supply.

BRGY MABINI

Aside from Barangay Sudlon I, Barangay Mabini has also experienced decreased supply of water.

Mabini Barangay Captain Manny Pepito said most of the people in the barangay get their water from neighboring barangays like Paril, Cambinocot and even as far as in the city proper.

He also said they haven’t resorted to water rationing in their barangay yet.

But if the situation doesn’t improve in one month, Pepito said they might do the water rationing.

Although Cebu has been spared from suffering the brunt of the El Niño this year, the start of the summer season has also started taking its toll on the province’s water supply.

The Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) recently advised that their surface water supply in the Buhisan Dam has reached to a critical level — producing only 1,400 cubic meters of water daily instead of its usual production of around 5,000 to 7,000 cubic meters.