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BY RESEL JOY TIANERO
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Wednesday, March 8, 2017
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ILOILO City – Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD) is rehabilitating its old and leaking water pipelines. For this, it has allotted nearly P15 million.
“We are now in the bidding process,” said General Manager Imelda Magsuci.
The rehabilitation aims to improve MIWD’s water delivery.
“May ara na kita five areas nga na-identify where we have to rehabilitate the pipelines,” said Magsuci.
MIWD has over 30,000 concessionaires in Iloilo City and the towns of Oton, Pavia, Santa Barbara, San Miguel, Leganes, and Cabatuan in Iloilo province.
A resident of Barangay Tanza Baybay, City Proper complained of the intermittent supply of MIWD water.
“Patyempo-tyempo kun magtubod ang linya sang MIWD sa amon lugar,” said a shy Rebecca who asked that her surname be withheld.
“Malawig na ang duha ka oras nga pagtubod sang tubig sa kada adlaw. Tama gid ini ka kulang,” she added.
Magsuci, however, clarified that water supply is not the problem but the distribution, thus the impending rehabilitation of water pipes.
“We have enough water from our three bulk water suppliers,” she stressed.
A resident of Pavia who asked to remain anonymous said, “Tama gid ya ka diutay sang tubig. Daw inoras na ang hulat namon, amo man sa gihapon.”
This unreliable water distribution is a daily inconvenience,” he lamented.
Magsuci is currently on leave. OIC general manager Amarylis Josephine Castro said the biggest challenged for MIWD is reducing its non-revenue water – water that has been produced but is “lost” before it reaches the customer due to leaks, theft or illegal connections, and metering inaccuracies.
Non-revenue water can affect MIWD’s financial stability, said Castro.
The water district is proactively working to cut its non-revenue water through its “Walk for a Leak” program, she revealed.
Every Friday of the week, a set of MIWD employees do fieldwork – they inspect water pipelines and report this back to the district.
Castro said the five areas so far identified for water pipeline rehabilitation are Fajardo Street (Jaro), Javellana Street (Jaro), Del Carmen Street (Jaro), Jalandoni Street (Jaro), Hechanova Street (La Paz) and Barangya Nabitasan (La Paz).
The rehabilitation commences this April. Castro said the budget for this is over P14 million.
Another batch of areas for water pipeline rehabilitation – Huervana Street (La Paz), Jereos Street (La Paz), Simon Ledesma Street (Jaro) and Infante Avenue – has a budget of over P16 million.
Castro said MIWD also plans to expand its service (pipe laying) to the following: from Barangay Ungka (Jaro) to Barangay Hibao-an Norte (Mandurriao), from Barangay Tabucan (Mandurriao) to Diversion Road via Pison Avenue (Mandurriao), from Pison Avenue to Diversion Road (Plazuela area), and barangays Cagamutan Sur and Cagamutan Norte in Leganes, Iloilo.
The budget for this is over P31 million, said Castro.
“We appeal to our consumers. Please report to us if there are leaks in their connections so we can immediately act on them. Also, report to us illegal connections,” said Castro.
Castro said that they are also banking on the supply of treated water from bulk water supplier Flo Water Resources Iloilo, Inc. that can now deliver 15,000 (not 9,000 as reported yesterday) cubic meters of water each day./PN
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