BECAUSE of the shortage of water felt in some of its barangays, the Talisay City Government has started rationing water.
Talisay City Mayor Gerald Anthony Gullas Jr. has tasked the fire department and the local disaster risk reduction office to provide water stocks to barangays with little to no water supply.
He said he has been receiving complaints about the lack of steady water supply from the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD).
He plans to meet with MCWD officials to discuss solutions to the water shortage.
Meanwhile, Liloan Mayor Christina Garcia Frasco called out MCWD for “misrepresenting” that all 18 wells would have no power supply when in truth only four wells are affected.
She said she found out from Visayan Electric that contrary to MCWD’s claims that all of its wells in Liloan could not be operated because of power interruption and thus could only generate low water pressure to no water, only four wells would have no power supply.
“Why is MCWD misrepresenting that because of Liloan, almost all of Metro Cebu will not have water? Could this have something to do with our stance against MCWD’s unjust treatment of Liloan as a water supplier and consumer?” Frasco pointed out on her Facebook post on Oct. 10, 2019.
The Municipal Council and the mayor of Liloan have considered shutting down the MCWD wells in the town because of the utility firm’s dismal service in delivering water.
Frasco wondered why MCWD would not provide generators for the four wells.
“Our LGU Engineering has reported that there are two generators already in MCWD’s other wells in Liloan. Why not use those and just add two others in order to avert the water service interruption?” Frasco asked.
“Why does MCWD expect Cebuanos to simply accept that they will have no water with MCWD offering no immediate solutions such as the simplest solution of providing generators?”
“The nonchalance with which the water crisis is being treated is baffling. As MCWD’s public pronouncements would have it, having low to zero access to water is the new normal for Cebu. But does it have to be though?”
Frasco said she has asked Visayan Electric (formerly Veco) if it could either avert the power interruption or provide generators for the affected pumps. She has yet to hear from Visayan Electric.
“Ultimately, however, this is MCWD’s responsibility. The question is, will MCWD do anything? Does it even care?” Frasco asked. FMD/ JKV, MPS