THE water supply in Metro Cebu has reportedly been affected by ongoing power interruptions.
Because of this, the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) has set up a meeting with the Visayan Electric Company (Veco) on Wednesday, March 20, to discuss the matter.
Charmaine Rodriguez-Kara, MCWD community relations and external affairs head, said their deep wells can’t deliver water without electricity.
Majority of MCWD’s water supply are dependent on deep wells, she said.
Due to the El Niño’s effects, MCWD’s surface water sources, such as the Buhisan Dam in Cebu City and the Jaclupan Diversion Weir in Talisay City, are now in critical level.
The Buhisan Dam can only supply 1,000 cubic meters of water per day, a far cry from its normal daily production rate of 6,000 to 7,000 cubic meters of water.
On the other hand, the Jaclupan Diversion Weir can still produce 23,400 cubic meters of water per day. That’s still down from the 33,000 cubic meters of water it used to produce.
Kara said they hoped to take up with Veco their dependence on a stable electrical supply to ensure that water would reach their customers.
Power interruptions began in different parts of Metro Cebu last Thursday, March 14, often lasting eight hours.
Based on Veco’s latest update, power interruptions will continue until Wednesday, March 20.
On Sunday, March 17, water interruptions due to a lack of a stable power supply are expected in areas in Cebu City, such as Oppra, Peace Valley, Green Valley, Sitio Ipil-Ipil, Sitio Lubi-Lubi, Upper Kamputhaw, Sitio Mabugnaw, Sitio Care, Purok 8 and Juana Osmeña Ext.
The Archdiocese of Cebu already announced that it planned to issue an “Oratio Imperata,” or special prayer, in response to the El Niño.
Archbishop Jose Palma said the special prayer they will be releasing aims to call upon the faithful to pray for a solution to the water supply problem in Cebu and other parts of the country.
Palma urged water districts in Cebu to manage their supplies properly.
He also urged the faithful to pray for rain to help replenish water sources affected by the heat wave.
Their prayers may be answered with the arrival of a tropical depression (TD) that is expected to provide a respite from the dry conditions.
Alberto Quiblat, chief of the weather bureau Pagasa in Mactan, said there are two likely scenarios once the TD enters the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) either late Saturday night, March 17, or early morning Sunday, March 18.
Once it is inside PAR, the TP will be called “Chedeng” and is expected to bring scattered and heavy rains over parts of Mindanao on Monday and Tuesday.
Quiblat said if TD Chedeng will follow the Caraga Region track, it will likely pass Southern Cebu and will bring rains in Santander, Badian, Oslob and Alcoy.
“That will solve their problem of lack of water because of El Niño,” he said.
Chedeng has a maximum sustained winds of 45 kilometer per hour and gusts of up to 60 kilometers per hour. It is moving west at 20 kilometers per hour. FROM HBL, SCG OF SUPERBALITA CEBU / JKV / EOB