The Bacolod City government has initiated measures to address water shortage in some areas across several barangays amid the extreme heat that affected sources of water supply.
As of yesterday, the city’s normal water supply of 84 million liters per day (MLD) has gone down to only about 79 MLD.
In an interview, Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said he has directed the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) and the City Engineer’s Office to initiate water distribution in communities with limited water supply.
“We are closely watching our water table. As the summer months come in, we expect the water table to go down a bit. I’ve asked the CDRRMO to reactivate the supply in water tanks and trucks and, by this weekend, deliver water supply to barangays experiencing shortage,” Benitez said.
In an advisory, the city government urged residents to prepare for a reduction in water supply after the Bacolod City Water District (Baciwa)-PrimeWater reported a shortage in water delivery from its bulk water suppliers.
“Bacolodnons are strongly urged to conserve water while the city government assures residents that all necessary measures are being taken to ensure water reaches those in need,” it said.
For its part, Baciwa-PrimeWater said it is implementing multiple projects aimed at improving water distribution across the north and south of the city to minimize the effects of limited water supply.
“We are also conducting daily water rationing and deliveries to affected barangays. In addition, we will deploy storage tanks and water delivery trucks to affected areas while awaiting the injection of additional supply from our two bulk water providers this March,” its statement read.
Baciwa-PrimeWater further said that as part of its commitment to provide sustainable water supply, the management is securing an additional 10 MLD from Bacolod Bulk Water Inc. and three MLD from its Matab-ang Water Treatment Plant, expected to be operational by the end of March.
“These additional sources will significantly improve supply and pressure in both the south and north areas of Bacolod,” it added. (PNA)