This is regarding the column of Mr. Stephen Capillas dated Friday, June 24, 2016 entitled “Dry spell’s end and the political intramurals.”
We would like to answer some points he raised in his column.
a) On being caught flatfooted for having likely underestimating the duration and intensity of the El Niño phenomenon.
MCWD has a 10-year plan which includes meeting demand targets based on population and economic growth. From a current production of 214,000 cubic meters (cu. m.) per day, MCWD will increase its total production to 278, 047 cu. m. per day this year based on its plan. By 2020, MCWD aims to increase its production to over 333,000 cu. m. per day. The plan includes additional sources through bulk water supply contracts, which were already signed years back, and in-house wells, which are being developed now. Water distribution strategies will include pipeline expansion projects and the construction of several reservoirs in strategic areas in the distribution system even until the year 2050.
For this year’s El Niño phenomenon, MCWD projected the deficit to reach about 34,000 cu. m. per day based on its experience during the previous years when the phenomenon also occurred. According to its sourcing plan, an additional 34,500 cu. m. per day would also be part of its daily production volume by now; however, circumstances beyond the control of MCWD, like securing of DPWH permits, road right-of-way acquisition, and challenges faced by private suppliers, have delayed some of the projects. From April 2015 to June 2016, though, an additional 30,000 cu. m. per day became part of MCWD’s daily production through in-house wells and bulk supply contracts.
To prepare for the El Niño phenomenon, MCWD implemented a “savings program” starting last July 2015, wherein only 28,000 cu. m. of the production of the Jaclupan facility was distributed. The excess in production, which averaged 5,000 cu. m. per day, was stored in preparation for the summer of 2016.
b) On consumers billed higher even if they did not have any water supply.
MCWD has tried to answer all allegations raised through the media by consumers who claimed to being billed higher than usual despite the lack of water supply. These were mere allegations. On one instance, it was a suspected defective meter which, by policy, prompted MCWD to charge the customer a water fee based on the average consumption for three months. There is nothing irregular about it. The consumer was appropriately informed that a billing adjustment will be implemented after the meter test results will show the meter was not defective. If there were complaints that were not addressed, we would like to ask the affected consumers to visit MCWD and file their complaints. MCWD is implementing and will implement a billing adjustment if a complaint is valid.
MCWD already presented in several fora that Metro Cebu needs dams or major water supply projects. It needs the national government’s guarantee to be able to take out loans to finance these. In the meantime, MCWD is exploring more wells and technologies, including desalination, that will bring in more water as soon as possible.
Apart from supply, MCWD has to consider the cost of each project to protect the interest of its consumers, the sustainability of the sources to safeguard the environment and the future of the next generation, the readiness of its manpower for new technologies to ensure operational efficiency and to continually bring water loss down and achieve its target of a 15-percent non-revenue water by 2020 through an efficient distribution management.
We thank Cebu Daily News and Mr. Capillas for columns like these that will serve as an appeal for help from all sectors in so many aspects of water governance-in implementing sustainable water supply projects, in educating the public on the wise use of water, the water cycle and conservation and in molding a mature community that truly understands the cost of development and will embrace it with open hearts and minds.
Engr. Noel Dalena
Acting General Manager