Cebu water resources ‘mismanaged’

CEBU — The mismanagement of Cebu’s water supply may be causing faucets and wells to run dry.

Fe Walag, deputy director of the University of San Carlos-Water Resources Center, said Cebu is plagued with a water crisis because water resources are improperly managed.

While there is enough supply of water, she said mismanagement of resources is the real cause of the water crisis.

Central Cebu has a water demand of 600,000 cubic meters a day but actual supply is only at 70 percent or 420,000 cubic meters.

Central Cebu — that includes the towns of Naga in the south to Danao in the north and the northern towns of Asturias to Pinamungajan — actually has a water supply of at least 120,000 cubic meters a day.

But because the resources are not fully tapped, there is a deficit of about 180,000 cubic meters of water daily.

In contrast, the Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD) has a daily production of 145,000 to 147,000 cubic meters that fall short of the daily demand of 275,000 cubic meters.

To date, the MCWD has 90,000 registered concessionaires within its franchise areas from Talisay in the south to Compostela in the north.

In coping with the shortfall, the MCWD has constructed two wells in Barangay Guadalupe and two others in Lahug with a combined production of 2,400 cubic meters.

The water utility firm is also tapping private companies as independent water suppliers. Together, these water suppliers can produce 5,000 cubic meters daily.

Still the most basic and best way to manage water resources, Walag said, is to conserve water and plant trees. — Freeman News Service