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[av_heading heading=’Baciwa defies order vs using 14 wells ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
BY MAE SINGUAY
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BACOLOD City – Bacolod City Water District (Baciwa) will not abide the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) order prohibiting it from distributing groundwater from 14 deep wells in the metro.
General Manager Juliana Carbon cited “public interest” and the lack of clear identification of the wells that Baciwa was not allowed to use.
The distribution utility was sourcing water from 52 operational wells.
Baciwa was “appropriating/utilizing water from 14 deep wells in the city without the benefit of water permits from the NWRB, in violation of Article 13 of the Water Code of the Philippines,” stated the cease and desist order.
The water district must seal the 14 wells and submit an affidavit of compliance within 15 days from receipt of the order. Otherwise, it may face administrative and/or criminal charges, the NWRB said.
“Definitely, my stand [is] we will not cease and desist [from using] the wells because of public interest,” Carbon said. “How can we comply if we do not know which wells are covered?”
Signed by NWRB executive director Devillo David Jr., the order was dated Nov. 10.
Baciwa received it on Dec. 13, Carbon said.
The following day, Baciwa wrote David, saying it will not close any deep well because it did not know which of its 52 wells were covered.
While the NWRB referred the utility to a report on the result of its inspection from April 3 to 7, that report was not attached to the order, said Carbon.
“So, which ones are we going to close? We do not know the specific wells covered,” the Baciwa general manager insisted.
Carbon said they referred the matter to the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel./PN
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