MCWD urged to immediately outsource water generation

CEBU, Philippines - Mactan Rock Industries Inc. (MRII) chairman Antonio P. Tompar said yesterday that the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) should immediately implement its plan to outsource the water generation operation to private entities, as well as prioritize the provision of water supply to residential market, instead of providing 80 percent of its total supply to commercial and industrial companies.

Based on Water Remind study, Tompar mentioned that MCWD is producing 80 percent of its water supply to commercial and industrial companies and only 20 percent is distributed to the residential users, thus water problem is being felt by the residential consumers.

“There shouldn’t be any water problem, especially that we have now different technologies that solve the dependence of surface water and well water sources, like the desalination,” Tompar said.

According to Tompar, this problem can only be solved, if MCWD, local government units (LGUs), as well as the commercial and industrial users will be united in solving this issue, by prioritizing in providing water to the residents, while companies can afford to pay water sourced from desalination.

Also commercial entities such as hotels, resorts, shopping malls, manufacturing industries can save their water consumption by adopting sound waste water recycling, that will reduce water consumption at by 30 percent, Tompar said.

In the South Road Properties (SRP), once investors will start to build their operations there, Tompar said water supply is not a problem, because the Cebu City government has already established a plant can supply at least 500 cubic meters a day, although capacity of the plant can increase depending on the demand.

Tompar reiterated his call to concern government agencies, especially MCWD to immediately implement its outsourcing plan, providing small water players to generate water for MCWD, as well as urging commercial and industrial entities to take advantage of water desalination, as its cost is competitive as water sourced from traditional method.

“Desalination is proven to be reliable and sustainable. Most major industries across the country are using this technology, may it be sourced from brackish water or sea water. Besides, commercial and industries entities can afford to pay desalinated water which is now cost at an average of P23. per cubic meter,” Tompar said.

Tompar, a water technology expert, downplayed fears on the looming water shortage in Cebu, saying solutions have been there ever since, but it needs the action from concerned agencies, and also cooperation from the private sector players.

Recently MCWD, vowed to immediately solve the looming water shortage problem, by opening up its water generation business to private entities.

MCWD director Joel Mari S. Yu announced that the agency has already identified top 20 “thirstiest” areas in the metropolis of which water generation rights will be given to winning bidders for water generation operation.

“We will now allow small players to come in,” Yu said stressing that by doing this, it will solve the water shortage problem in Cebu.

This year, a minimum of 30 cubic-meter water supply will be added to MCWDs distribution capacity. In the following year, another 30 cubic-meters a day will be added, he bared.

More than 60 thousand cubic-meters of water deal is now being negotiated by MCWD with private suppliers. This will add to the water supply in Cebu in the next two years.

About 60 percent of the population in Metro Cebu is sourcing their water from wells, or buying water from “somewhere else.” Big subdivisions, including resorts have their own water system.

Unlike the power problem, Yu said the water shortage problem in Cebu can be easily addressed. The move to open up the generation business to private suppliers is a one-step forward to solve this basic urban problem.

As of 2007, Metro Cebu’s total demand of water is estimated at 250,000 cubic meters to 300,000 a day. The Metro Cebu Water District is only supplying 40 percent of this demand, while the rest is supplied by private deep well operators.