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Saturday, July 22, 2006
MCWD needs 30T new costumers before ’09
THE Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) would need to increase its service connections by about 30,000 by 2009, by which time additional water from Carmen town is expected to enter MCWD’s system.
Otherwise, with additional supply of about 50,000 cubic meters (cu.m.) a day from Carmen, MCWD would have too much water it cannot sell, said General Manager Armando Paredes.
But he said that since the Carmen project is expected in 2008 or middle of 2009 yet, MCWD may have to go into short-term contracts, involving smaller supply volumes.
Demand
Contrary to the notion that MCWD needs all the water it can get hold of to meet the demand in Metro Cebu, Paredes said not all of those who are getting water from somewhere else would want to transfer to the water district.
With a daily yield of about 142,000 cu.m., MCWD serves only around 50 percent of the total demand in Metro Cebu, which the water district has placed at 257,000 cu.m. this year. About 50 percent of the total demand may be getting water from private wells or water vendors.
Paredes cited a study by Expertelligence in 1997, which according to him, showed that only about 25 percent to 30 percent of those getting water from other sources are willing to avail themselves of MCWD’s services.
“They may prefer other sources. Our focus is to prioritize those who have high willingness to connect (to MCWD),” he said.
Double
At present, MCWD has about 100,000 service connections.
Paredes said that with additional water from Carmen, MCWD will have to double its annual target of new service connections of 6,000.
“If we get water from Carmen, and we are unable to meet the target new service connections, we might have to close our own wells,” he said.
If it does, MCWD would be shutting down a cheaper source of water so as to make use of the whole supply from Carmen, which is more costly.
“This is why MCWD cannot accept other bulk water supply contracts…until after the first two years of the Carmen project,” he said. “It would appear foolish that while we can hardly absorb it (Carmen water), we will go into other contracts.”
Short-term
“But between now and Carmen, we might bid out smaller, short-term supply contracts. Maybe 2,000 to 3,000 cubic meters,” he said, adding that these contracts should end once additional supply from Carmen is available.
Mactan Rock Industries president Antonio Tompar had alleged that MCWD is favoring the Carmen water supply project proposed by the consortium of Ayala and Stateland. He said this is why MCWD has denied other supply proposals.
Mactan Rock is one of MCWD’s bulk water suppliers and is now involved in a legal battle with the water district.
“We are not favoring the Ayalas. Ayala might not even win the bidding for the project (Carmen water),” Paredes said. (LAP)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (July 22, 2006 issue)
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