A DAVAO City councilor revealed that the current issue on water supply in some parts of the city, particularly in the second district, is affecting some Covid-19 isolation centers.
Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang said in a radio interview on Thursday, September 9, 2021, that the second district continues to have an unstable water supply, which is affecting the residents in implementing the minimum health protocols.
"Kaning nagkaproblema ta sa tubig sa second district, particularly sa Lanang ug Sasa. Ang personal assessment nako, tungod sa kakulang sa tubig diri sa District 2, dagkog contribution kini sa pandemya sa Covid[-19]. Kabalo ka dili ka kaligo, panghugas, gani ang ubang isolation center, kulang og tubig," Dayanghirang said in an interview on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.
(We have an ongoing issue in the water supply in the second district, particularly in Lanang and Sasa. Based on my personal assessment, the problem of the water supply in District 2 is contributing to the current Covid-19 pandemic since people cannot take a bath and wash their dishes. Some isolation facilities are even having issues with water supply.)
Dayanghirang said the fire department provides temporary water supply to facilities experiencing water interruption, as ordered by Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.
Covid-19 Task Force Spokesperson Dr. Michelle Schlosser confirmed in a separate radio interview that some quarantine and temporary treatment and monitoring facilities (TTMF) facilities are experiencing issues on water supply.
"Admittedly, naay ubang TTMFs na naay mga issues like that. Pero (some TTMFs are having these issues. But) rest assured, every time we have issues like that, gina-address na siya sa atong TTMF na team. Naa tay team na ginapa-improve ang quality sa atoang TTMF," Schlosser said.
(Admittedly, some TTMFs are having these issues. But rest assured, every time we have issues like that, this is being addressed by the TTMF team. We have a team in charge of improving the quality of our TTMFs.)
DCWD deputy spokesperson Jovana Cresta Duhaylungsod told SunStar Davao they have not received any reports of challenges in water supply among Covid-19 facilities.
Duhaylungsod said they are still going to look into the recent claims of Dayanghirang.
She said they are in close coordination with isolation and TTMF facilities and hospitals as they are one of the priorities in the water deliveries in times of water interruption.
The DCWD official said water is a crucial need in the operation of these facilities, as it is a necessity in the fight against Covid-19.
"Pag atoa ma-identify for a certain period mawad-an temporary ang usa ka area og water supply, ug apil didto sa area kay naay mga not just isolation facility ug hospitals, we notify them in advance,” she said.
(If we are able to identify a certain area, which includes our isolation facility and hospital, that will experience a temporary interruption of water supply, we notify them in advance.)
Duhaylungsod said they were able to deliver water supply at the isolation facilities near the Francisco Bangoy International Airport (Davao International Airport).
She also said they were able to augment the water supply in one of the facilities in Barangay Malagos in Baguio District for almost a week.
The official also said that they also secure water supply for Southern Philippines Medical Center, one of the Covid-19 referral hospitals in Davao City, to ensure that the operation of the hospital is unhampered.
As of Friday, she said they have not yet encountered major problems in the water supply in these facilities. However, she said they provided a separate hotline for the TTMFs who will encounter water interruptions for them to immediately address it.