For potable water: MCWD gets new machines from JICA

CEBU, Philippines - The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) turned over yesterday to the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) P33 million worth of machines expected to produce more potable water for the latter’s consumers.

In a ceremony at D’ Family Park in Barangay Talamban, JICA turned over a truck-mounted Mobile Siphon Tank (MST), worth about P15 million, which can produce up to seven cubic meters of potable water per hour.

The second machine, the stationary MST worth about P7.5 million, can produce up to 20 cubic meters of potable water per hour while the third machine, a sandwasher worth P11 million, is used to scrape off sand from the filter bed and replace it with clean sand.

MCWD has used a truck-mounted MST in Barangay Cambinocot and a stationary MST in Barangay Bonbon in Cebu City last year to help the upland barangays in its water needs during the dry season.

The machines were invented and produced by Nihon Genryo Co. Ltd. of Japan and were given by JICA to MCWD for free, through the latter’s twinning program with Yokohama Waterworks Bureau.

Osamu Kanda, JICA’s Overseas Management Division assistant manager, said they started considering the project of giving out MSTs almost three years ago.

Kanda said one of the project’s purpose is to provide safe drinking water with the use of their Siphon tanks.

“Siphon tanks will purify and disinfect waters from the rivers, creeks, wells, and rain, and delivers sustainable water supply,” Kanda said during his speech.

Charmaine Janis Rodriguez, MCWD’s department manager for Community Relations and External Affairs, said without the sand washer, the filter bed is manually scraped.

Further, Renato Mercado, chairman of MCWD, said he is very thankful to all the JICA officials and MCWD workers who has helped in the project.

“I will always nurture the relationship between JICA and MCWD, water is insignificant if it just crossed through rivers, we should deliver it to households, so much thanks to JICA who worked and sacrificed a lot of their time and effort for this project, I am proud and comfortable to say that I drink from the tap,” Mercado said.

Meanwhile, Mercado told The FREEMAN the water supply in Cebu City is still stable even though Cebu is experiencing the effects of the El Niño.

Engr. Noel Dalena, MCWD acting general manager, supported the statement of Mercado, saying MCWD is now more than ever disaster-ready since the MSTs will allow the water district to produce potable water from any nearby source in the event of a calamity. —  (FREEMAN)