Butuan City council probes water crisis

BUTUAN CITY, Philippines – Councilor Ferdinand Nalcot said the city council would investigate the water crisis in the city.

Nalcot, chairman of the council’s committee on social services, said he invited Butuan City Water District (BCWD) general manager Anselmo Sangtian to a council session next week to explain the cause of the water shortage and provide alternative measures.

In an interview with radio station dxBC last Saturday morning, Nalcot admitted that since the BCWD is under the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA), the council only had recommendatory powers over the agency.

He lamented that the council has no police powers to sanction BCWD officials.

He expressed hope that the BCWD could address the issue and come out with an immediate solution to the water crisis.

Tropical Storm Seniang had reportedly damaged the BCWD facilities, causing the water shortage.

Nalcot said that both Sangtian and Butuan City Mayor Ferdinand Amante, Jr. have promised to implement a long-term solution to the problem.

“All I ask from BCWD is to be transparent and to inform the people of Butuan City of these long-term measures and explain the alternatives. I think BCWD failed in this regard and you can’t blame almost all the people of Butuan City for airing their disappointment and asking for Sangtian’s resignation,” Nalcot said.

“I myself and my family have no water supply at home,” he said.

Sangtian said in an earlier interview with dxBC that he could not determine when water supply for Butuan City could be restored.

He said Seniang had damaged the water firm’s source of water and other facilities.

He also denied allegations that the water shortage was caused by illegal mining and logging.

The BCWD general manager, said that immediate measures like water rationing had been iplemented to address the problem with help from construction firm Equi-parco and other private water tankers.

Equi-parco Construction is the sister company of Taguibo Aquatech Solutions and Twin Peak Hydro Resources, which cornered the P500-million Bulk Water Supply and Water Treatment Project of the BCWD under the national government’s Public-Private Partnership scheme.