AT LEAST 20 households in Barangay Mactan, Lapu-Lapu City, have been suffering from poor water quality for the past seven months, with discolored water flowing from their faucets.
This was confirmed by Mactan Barangay Captain Efren Aying, one of the affected residents, who said the water coming from his faucet had been discolored.
Aying, in an interview on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, said he experienced the sudden change in the water quality as it stained his white clothes with yellow discoloration or rust-like blotch.
He disclosed that over 20 households in Sitio Kakunsor going to Angasil Wharf in Barangay Mactan have been affected by the quality of the water supply since March.
“Akong mga silingan same gyud mi og problema…Ang solution nako nagpalit ko og water filter. Hangtod karon nag-filter gyud ko sakong tubig,” said Aying.
(My neighbors have the same problem. My solution was to buy a water filter. Up until now, I have been using a filter for my water.)
The residents said their water connection is from the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD).
SunStar Cebu tried to reach MCWD for an explanation, but texts remain unanswered as of press time.
Aying also said that a concerned citizen, named Bonita, who owns a boarding house located at Sitio Isuya, also reported the yellowish water to him via Messenger.
Upon an inquiry into the area, residents came forward and claimed that they had only experienced the discoloration of their water supply this year.
Devy Ann Senerpida, one of the residents, said she had spent P4,000 to have her water pipes changed after experiencing the sudden discoloration in the water.
“Dili na siya advisable imnon or ikaligo kay katol. Naay time last month man siguro na yellow na gyud siya. Ang sanina ug balde dili na gyud hugaw na gyud siya,” said Senerpida.
(It’s not advisable to drink or bathe in it because it causes itching. There was a time last month when it was really yellow. Clothes and buckets also get very dirty.)
Senerpida said that Bonita initiated a signature campaign with the residents and reported the situation to the water utility firm.
She further said that the utility firm went to the area to conduct chlorination, but she claimed that the water condition did not change.
Another resident, Eduardo Silawan, said the water tastes salty, unlike before.
The tap water was his family’s source of drinking water, and he was forced to use mineral water in cooking rice.
In the same household, children have experienced rashes and wounds when they first used the water.
Carmel Igoy, a resident of six years in Sitio Isuya, also said that water remains rusty and stained most of their buckets.
Cherry Amit, who lives in Mactan proper, said that about six households, mostly composed of family members, have experienced the same issue but have been resolved after changing their pipes.
Aying called on all residents of Barangay Mactan experiencing the same exposure to rusty water connections to report immediately to the Barangay Hall.
“I urged residents who have experienced similar issues to report it to the barangay. We will report it ourselves (to the water utility firm),” Aying said in Cebuano.