MERCILESS HEAT. The ground near Buhisan Dam was bone-dry in this file photo. Pagasa says there’s no dry spell in Cebu. Rainfall is only slightly below normal rate in the past two months. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)
Faucets may be drying up in several barangays of Cebu City and Talisay City, but there is no dry spell in Cebu.
In fact, the Mactan office of the state weather bureau Pagasa said summer hasn’t arrived in the province yet despite the increasingly uncomfortable and warmer temperatures of late.
Officials, however, noted the continuing decline in the water levels in Mananga and Cotcot Rivers.
Federico Carreon, head of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office, said in a forum that water levels in Mananga and Cotcot have decreased by 40 percent as of yesterday.
He said the reduction is normal during warm temperatures and hoped for rain to replenish the water.
Charmaine Rodriguez-Kara, public affairs manager of the Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD), said Mananga River in Talisay City has dried up, cutting off supply to their Jaclupan facility and forcing them to rely on reserve water.
Kara said they managed to save 5,000 cubic meters of water daily since July. The total volume saved is good for the next two months.
Recover
“To sustain the Jaclupan facility, we have also private suppliers for additional (bulk water) supply. There is also 11,000 cubic meters of water coming from Cebu-Manila Water Development,” Kara told Cebu Daily News.
From 33,000 cubic meters of water level, the water level at the Jaclupan facility in June last year dropped to 8,000 cubic meters.
This March, the current water level stands at 28,000 cubic meters.
Jaclupan provides water to consumers from Talisay City to Barangay Carreta in Cebu City.
“We were able to recover because of the rains experienced for the last two months but still we need to conserve water,” Kara said.
Loss
The water level in Buhisan Dam which dropped to 800 cubic meters last year rose slightly to 1,400 cubic meters.
This is below its usual supply of 7,000 cubic meters before the onset of El Niño.
Buhisan has other sources including the Jaclupan facility and ground water wells.
“Because of the El Niño, we lost 34,000 cubic meters of water a day, both from Jaclupan and Buhisan,” Kara said.
Buhisan provides water to Barangays Tisa, Labangon and the whole downtown area of Cebu City.
Kara said areas that source their water supply from the Buhisan Dam and Jaclupan facility will continue to experience low water pressure during peak hours from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. everyday.
Pagasa Mactan chief Alfredo Quiblat said rainfall levels were near normal from January to February this year.
In January, Quiblat said Pagasa recorded 116.4 millimeters (mm) of rainfall or slightly lower than the average 126.4 mm of normal rainfall.
In February, rainfall was recorded at 89.6 mm, above the average 77.8 mm of rainfall. Quiblat said any effects of the dry spell in Cebu had been minimal this year.
“When you say moderate, water resources are drying up. The effects of El Niño are non-uniform which means effects of Cebu are different from other places in the country,” he added.
Due to the rainfall levels, Quiblat said there is no dry spell in March. He said the average normal rainfall for March is 61 millimeters. As of yesterday, Pagasa recorded 0.3 mm of rainfall.
“The water resources can’t recover this March. Months like March and April are known to have lesser rainfall because of summer,” he said.
Aside from rising temperatures, Quiblat said there are factors to consider before they confirm the start of the dry season such as the prevalence of the easterly winds.
In Dalaguete town, southern Cebu, municipal agriculture and natural resources officer Expedizitas Lenares said they saw a minimal decrease in vegetable production since March this year, but they expect it to go down further.
Lenares said vegetable production will go down by 10 to 15 percent in five rain-fed areas and five percent in 11 upland barangays with irrigation systems by harvest season in May.
“Generally, effects of the unfavorable weather are still mild as of this date since some areas have experienced rainy days,” she told Cebu Daily News.
The five rain-fed areas include Barangays Tabon, Caliongan, a part of Caleriohan, a part of Catolohan, and a part of Dugyan.
Vegetable-producing upland barangays with their own irrigation systems and water supply include Ablayan, Babayongan, Bulak, Dumalan, Langkas, Manlapay, Mantalongon, Maloray, Naihub, Obo, and Salug.