MCWD gets more water

CEBU, Philippines - After almost a decade of waiting for the project to prosper, the Cebu Manila Water Development Inc. finally pumped an additional 18,000 cubic meters of water into the Metropolitan Cebu Water District supply last January 5.

“After nine years, na push through na gyud ni,” said Ernesto Delco, MCWD acting general manager.

The consortium is between the Cebu Provincial government and the CMWDI, which is composed of various private companies engaged in water business.

Delco said with the additional 18,000 cubic meter of water to their pipeline will benefit 14,000 households and commercial establishments.

With the injection of new water source, MCWD now produces around 230,000 cubic meter of water per day.

Delco said that as a result of the additional water supply, their customers in northern Cebu will have more water supply.

“Mas mokusog na ang supply sa tubig sa North,” said Delco.

Delco added that by next year, another 17,000 cubic meter of water will be injected into MCWD supply by the same consortium.

“Which means, the consortium will be injecting a total of 35,000 cubic meter per day which will benefit 26,000 households and commercial establishments,” Delco added.

MCWD’s water consumers will be paying higher water rate starting January 1 but it will be reflected on their February 2015 billing period.

The new rate hike is among the terms of MCWD’s bulk water supply contract with CMWDI.

MCWD’s rate hike was pegged at P1.60 per cubic meter for the first ten cubic meters of water consumption.

With MCWD’s 12 percent water rate hike, it means that water consumers using 10 cubic meters or less per month will pay P15.20 from the current rate of P13.60 or an increase of P1.60.

One cubic meter is equivalent to five barrels of water or 1,000 liters.

MCWD earlier explained that water production cost is P22 per cubic meters and it only charged P16.80 for the 11 to 20 cubic meters of water consumed per month and P19.77 for 21 to 30 cubic meters of water used per month.

Commercial consumers or those that consume more than 30 cubic meters of water per month are paying at least P48.40 per cubic meter since 2006 as they are subsidizing the small-time water consumers. — (FREEMAN)