TO COMBAT the looming water crisis due to dry spell brought by the El Niño phenomenon, a Cebu-based local water utility firm is banking on the initial deliveries of desalinated water from its contracted partners in April.
Meanwhile, the daily water output of the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) has depleted further, particularly on its surface water sources.
MCWD is a primary water utility company that serves the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, Talisay, and Lapu-Lapu and the towns of Consolacion, Liloan, Compostela, and Cordova.
Spokesperson Minerva Gerodias of MCWD said on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, that they are expecting an additional of around 30,000 cubic meters of desalinated water, accumulated from three of their desalinated water sources.
“That is why we are hoping additional water sources, those desalinated water projects, can provide initial deliveries next month,” she said in her interview with “Beyond the Headlines,” SunStar Cebu’s online news and commentary program.
Gerodias said these desalinated water supplies are specifically coming from those desalinated water projects in Barangay Opao, Mandaue City; Barangay Mambaling Cebu City; and Cordova town in Mactan Island.
She clarified that these are only initial deliveries, since both plants in Barangays Mambaling and Opao can produce 25,000 cubic meters when fully functional, and the project in Cordova town can produce 20,000 cubic meters of water output.
“But, hopefully, these initial deliveries are already of big help,” she added.
Earlier, Tommy Gonzalez of the production department of MCWD said last March 5, 2024 that they have observed the supply has been depleting since the last quarter of 2023.
During an interview, Gonzalez said the daily water production at the plant was short by 25,000 cubic meters. The water utility normally produces 301,000 cubic meters of water per day, but due to the ongoing El Niño phenomenon, it has been reduced to 276,000 cubic meters per day.
Gonzalez said they currently acquire water from three distinct sources: desalinated seawater at 10 percent, extracting groundwater from wells at 50 percent, and utilizing surface water at 40 percent, which includes both bulk water and sources owned by MCWD.
He added that the persistent dry spell has a disproportionate impact on the supply from surface water sources, as they are directly exposed to the atmosphere and thus are “more susceptible to the extensive heat.”
Among its surface water sources are the Jaclupan wellfield in Talisay City, which normally produces 30,000 cubic meters, and the Buhisan Dam in Cebu City, supposed to produce 5,000 cubic meters.
Gerodias said that as of Tuesday, March 12, the water production has decreased even more to 272,000 cubic meters per day, which is a shortage of 29,000 cubic meters from their total water production.
Gerodias acknowledged that the expected 30,000 cubic meters of additional water supply from these desalinated water sources is just enough to augment the water shortage at current levels.
MCWD is currently “balancing the distribution,” meaning areas with complete water service share some supply with areas experiencing intermittent or no water.
“Our production department will do something about it so that we can at least balance our available supply, for example, those who are receiving full 24-hour service, will now have 22 or 20 hours instead. So the other supply will be given to the less,” she said.
Gerodias said there are water tankers on standby to provide aid to areas that will not be receiving any water supply.
She added that they will not be making residents stand in long queues to receive water. Rather, they plan to directly inject the water supply from the tankers into the distribution lines for safety reasons.
This method will ensure that the distribution of water is accurately accounted for. If water is manually distributed, it cannot be metered, which results in non-revenue water.
She added that this step can be taken to ensure that the water supply remains uninterrupted, but the water pressure may be reduced.
Gerodias urged the public to conserve water and avoid wastage. She emphasized the need for everyone to practice water-saving measures so that there will be enough supply to cater to all clients.
Although they cannot shut down car cleaning shops, Gerodias appealed to them to reduce their water pressure to avoid unnecessary water wastage.
“We encourage prudent use of water. I think it is our responsibility, not only during the El Niño but every day… We hope the public to responsibly use the water, particularly that we are short on supply,” she said.
Meanwhile, Chief Alfredo “Al” Quiblat Jr. of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) Visayas said earlier that Cebu is officially under a dry spell since the last week of February.
A dry spell refers to three consecutive months of below-normal rainfall, or a drop of 21 percent to 60 percent, or two consecutive months of way below-normal rainfall, or a drop of more than 60 percent.
The other provinces in Visayas that are placed under a dry spell are Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, and Iloilo in Western Visayas; Biliran, Eastern Samar, Leyte, and Samar in Eastern Visayas; and Negros Oriental in Central Visayas.
Only Negros Oriental is experiencing drought. Drought is designated as an extended dry condition marked by either five consecutive months of below-normal rainfall or three months of way below-normal rainfall.
The El Niño phenomenon leads to decreased precipitation or, in some cases, a complete absence of rainfall, which can significantly impact crop yields and pose various environmental and economic challenges.
Pagasa also warned that the phenomenon may persist until the end of May, potentially affecting not only Cebu but also other parts of the country. (KJF)
