Faucets to run dry as Oro water firm schedules repairs

EXPECT more water interruptions in the coming days following the announcement of the Cagayan de Oro City Water District (COWD) that it will undertake works to realign distribution lines affected by government projects as well as conduct extensive repairs to reduce non-revenue water (NRW).

Engineer Bienvenido Batar Jr., COWD general manager said projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), particularly the construction of drainage facilities, are affecting their transmission lines, while leaks are also being fixed as part of their resiliency program.

"All of these are routine works of the water district, but all of these activities are all going on at the same time too so water interruptions are to be expected in the days ahead," Batar said.

Since last year, the NRW reduction program has been going on with activities such as construction of metered areas, installation of data loggers, conduct of night flow and zero pressure monitoring, and replacement of old meters, among others.

This, as the COWD aspires to decrease their NRW or the water produced that is unaccounted for, from a prevailing 50.36 percent to 20 percent, as required by the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA).

The latest water supply interruption was a 14-hour water interruption which affected the city's central area last night. The overnight water interruption was implemented around 6 p.m., Wednesday, April 11, until 8 a.m., Thursday, April 12, to make adjustments on the pumping stations of Macasandig booster station.

"We needed to boost our water facilities like that in Macasandig so that in an event that another calamity occurs, it won't take long until we restore water supply," he said.

Water supply remains precarious in most areas of the city despite the entrance of a new bulk water supplier, but Batar assures that water supply in the western side will stabilize in June or July this year as Cagayan de Oro Bulk Water Incorporated (Cobi) supplies an additional 20,000 cubic meter per day water supply.

"As of now, they are still supplying 40,000 cubic meter per day to us but in June or July, they shall supply a total of 60,000 cubic meter per day so it should improve our western service area. By next year, COBI will work on the supply in the east side," Batar said.

It is still on 2022 or the "year 5" of the Metro Pacific Water Investments Corporation-COWD contract implementation when water supply of the whole city is expected to stabilize and be sustainable, he said.

Batar said by 2022, COBI will be delivering a total of 100,000 cubic meter per day.

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