BACOLOD City – The city government and its partners have so far delivered some 526,000 liters of water to residents affected by the ongoing El Niño phenomenon.
Latest data showed that a total of 26,629 households in various barangays benefited from water rationing, or the “Patubig Sa Barangay” program, from April 9 to May 1.
These barangays included 18, 27, 30, 33, Villamonte, Felisa, Taculing, Cabug, Mansilingan, Handumanan, Alijis, and Mandalagan.
Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez ordered to supply water in areas experiencing drought due to El Niño since the first week of April.
Benitez bared that Bacolod currently requires 125 million liters per day (MLD) of water.
However, the city’s water supply has a capacity of only 70 MLD, and has decreased to 50 MLD due to the effects of El Niño, resulting in a shortfall of 20 MLD.
“We’re short of 20 MLD to begin with. PrimeWater customers need 90 MLD, so we’re really short of 40 MLD,” the city mayor added.
Benitez had also urged the Bacolod City Water District (Baciwa) to present a water security plan in response to ongoing water supply shortages in the city.
He cited Section 5.1.2 of the contract between Baciwa and Prime Water Infrastructure Inc., effective from November 13, 2020, mandating that Prime Water must ensure all consumers enjoy a continuous 24-hour water supply by the end of the second year.
“By 2022, all consumers should have been experiencing an uninterrupted water supply. Clearly, this has not been achieved,” said Benitez.
He wondered what actions had Baciwa taken since 2022, asserting that penalties should have been imposed if the terms were not met, similar to those levied against their bulk water suppliers.
The mayor was demanding that Baciwa submits a robust water security plan that includes sufficient reserves to handle peak demand periods.
He also stressed the importance of maintaining reserves at all deep well sources for emergencies and insisted on a strategy to address water discoloration, which may require replacing old pipes. (With a report from the Philippine News Agency)/PN
