COWD: Rising above the challenges

COWD: Rising above the challenges

THE country’s very first water district, Cagayan de Oro Water District (Cowd), marks its 39th year of public service today.

With Cagayan de Oro’s tremendous growth over the years, COWD’s number of active service connections has likewise risen from a mere 3,500 connections when it took over the management and operations of the city’s water system from the defunct Nawasa to 79,727 as of June 2012. And it is steadily growing.

As Cagayan de Oro’s water service provider since 1973, Cowd has contributed to improve health and sanitation by making available potable water in every household.

It has also equipped the city with a reliable fire-fighting capability during emergencies.

Being community-based and service-oriented, Cowd has provided quality education opportunities to deserving students through its scholarship program. It has also conducted essay-writing, poster-making and oratorical contests geared towards promoting water consciousness among the youth.

The Cowd has embarked on environmental protection programs like the 25-year stewardship of the Mahuganao Watershed.

And as the city’s partner in development, water supply-related projects identified by the local chief executive such as pipeline extensions, meter stub-outs and other facilities are designed, implemented and sourced from Cowd’s P6-million fund allocated annually for this purpose.

Economically, the COWD has generated jobs for its operations and paid appropriate taxes. Growth and development in Cagayan de Oro has also been spurred by the availability of water services in key areas.

With this year’s theme “Rising Above the Challenges,” Cowd has indeed, in its close to four decades of serving the public, successfully surpassed the challenges through the years, most recent of which was tropical storm Sendong.

Sendong damaged Cowd’s major facilities rendering 70 percent of the service area waterless for weeks.

While fast-tracking the repairs, Cowd utilized its operating production wells and opened fire hydrants and installed them with clustered faucets just to continue providing water to the public.

Since then until the present, Cowd has provided water in several evacuation centers and relocation sites.

From January to June this year, an average monthly withdrawal of 4,000 cubic meters of water from the Macasandig booster station has been facilitated for delivery to the different relocation sites.

Water facilities like stub-outs with communal faucets have also been installed for free to provide water for those rendered homeless by the tropical storm.

Cowd also provided water for the city’s clean-up drive.

As it commemorates its 39th year of service, Cowd is inviting the public to join them in their activities.

On August 1, free snacks as well as free medical services will be offered to its customers.

The public is also enjoined to help save lives by donating blood on August 2.

“Alay sa Eskwela,” where school supplies will be donated to Grade One students of a public elementary school, will also be conducted on August 3 while running enthusiasts await Cowd’s 2nd Water Consciousness Fun Run on August 5.

For COWD, serving the public has, and will always remain, its reason for being.

As it looks forward to providing even better service, it wishes to thank its valued customers for their continued support and patronage through the years. (PR)