THE Bacolod City's consumer group Alliance of Concerned Consumers in Electricity and Social Services (Access) has sought the assistance of Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran and members of the City Council to conduct a public hearing with the Bacolod City Water District (Baciwa)-PrimeWater for its alleged failure to provide adequate and clean water supply.
Wennie Sancho, Access president, sent his letter to Familiaran on Monday, April 7, to accommodate their request.
"We, the Access, are writing to express our deep concern and frustration over the dismal failure of Baciwa-PrimeWater to provide adequate and clean water supply to some areas in Bacolod City," Sancho said.
He said access to clean and potable water is a basic human right and essential for people’s daily lives.
He said the water supply provided by Baciwa-PrimeWater has been consistently inadequate, with many areas experiencing frequent interruptions, low water pressure, and turbid or dirty water.
Sancho noted that the voluminous complaints from affected residents and businesses have fallen in deaf ears, and the problem persists.
"This is unacceptable and demands immediate attention from the City Council," he said.
In light of this situation, Sancho said they are requesting the City Council to conduct a public hearing to investigate the adequacy of water supply, and the ability of Baciwa-PrimeWater to provide sufficient water supply to meet the demands of Bacolod City's growing population.
Aside from the two new water sources, Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez earlier said that Baciwa-PrimeWater vowed to increase the water supply by seven million liters of water per day (MLD) to a maximum volume 17 MLD to the residents of Bacolod.
He said Baciwa-Primewater will improve their existing wells so they can deliver additional water supply in various areas in the city.
Roberto Pabrique Jr., president of PrimeWater, also said that they recognize the importance of ensuring a reliable and sufficient water supply to meet the growing needs of the community, and, thus, expressed their commitment to the City of Bacolod to undertake measures that will enhance the provision of water to the concessioners.
The City Government earlier identified two locations of water sources to address the water problem in Bacolod.
These two water sources include the Bocal-Bocal Spring in Barangay Alangilan and the Matab-ang River, which is located at the boundary of Bacolod and Talisay cities. (MAP)