Garcia backs call to stop groundwater extraction

CEBU, Philippines — While stressing that it's not an easy solution, Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia is supporting the call to stop groundwater extraction to avoid the impact of saltwater intrusion and to further improve water sanitation.

“I support that stand that undangon na gyud nato ang pagkuha sa tubig sa groundwater because of the saltwater intrusion,” said Garcia in a press conference yesterday, Nov. 18, 2024.

This came following the statement of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)-7 backing the Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD), in partnership with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), to improve water quality and sanitation through the launching of the Master Plan Study on Comprehensive Sewerage System Development.

Garcia, however, admits that prohibiting groundwater extraction will not be an easy task.

According to Garcia, the service areas of the MCWD have a demand of about 550,000 cubic meters per day, while MCWD can only produce up to 310,000 cubic meters per day in its service areas.

“So where are the people getting water? Aw from the ground,” said Garcia.

He added that when a private establishment files a permit to dig groundwater, the MCWD will turn it down as mandated by law.

“Pero, og di pwede asa man mi manguhag tubig?” Garcia said echoing the justification of private establishments.

He also said that the primary problem of MCWD is its source of water to meet the demand, which is being addressed by MCWD as it is currently looking for other water sources.

Further, Garcia said that this is among the reasons that the Cebu City Government is open to a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) to build more dams in the mountain barangays.

The dams will be able to catch rainwater and store more water supply to MCWD during a downpour. He added that currently, there is an estimated 10 percent of rainwater that is being retained while the remaining 90 percent is being thrown to the ocean.

“Sayang kaayo. One of the solutions there, are really dams, among others. One is also desalination kay paspas ra,” said Garcia.

“Basta di na gyud ta mu dig sa atong aquifers kay ang saltwater intrusion muabot nas Talamban,” he added.

According to Garcia, the water current supply affected by saltwater intrusion are portions of Barangay Tinago, Tejero, and other coastline areas.

In a separate interview, Minerva Gerodias, spokesperson of MCWD said that other people are getting water supply from their own wells. She, however, clarified that these extractions are not being thoroughly monitored since they do not have the capacity for monitoring in the first place.

“Kay usa gud sa factor anang saltwater intrusion is over extraction of underground water. And MCWD monitors its extraction as among mga underground nga mga wells everyday,” said Gerodias.

She added that when they notice that the level aquifer system has gone down, they will immediately suspend their extraction.

On the call of the Cebu City Council to monitor the groundwater extraction, Gerodias said that they will have a hard time enacting this request since the MCWD does not have “police power”.

“We cannot call out…kay wala man mi police power to regulate,” said Gerodias.

She added that the call to monitor the groundwater extraction must come from the Local Government Unit (LGU).

As for the partnership with JICA, Gerodias said they applied for a grant last 2019 for a sewage treatment system in Cebu. It was in March this year that the official agreement to study the said master plan was sealed. — (FREEMAN)