Water tanks to be distributed to mountain villages

THE Cebu City Government will deploy 200 water tanks to mountain communities starting Wednesday, April 9, 2025, as part of its emergency measures to combat an expected dry spell.

Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia announced the initiative on Tuesday, April 8, following a meeting with department heads and Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) officials at City Hall.

“Ato nang nahan-ay ang (We have already arranged the) preparations; now is the time to implement what we have discussed and planned,” Garcia said.

The deployment includes 4,000-liter and 2,000-liter water tanks positioned in strategic locations throughout mountain barangays currently lacking direct water access. Six 6,000-liter water tankers, one fire pump and two mobile siphon tanks will support the operation.

Harold Alcontin, head of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, said his team will coordinate with barangay captains to determine priority areas.

“We only need a small budget since we’re using existing resources,” Alcontin said, noting that fuel for vehicles represents the main expense.

Meanwhile, residents in lowland areas can expect improved water service as MCWD secured additional supply from new bulk water providers. These include Pilipinas Water Resources Inc. in Barangay Mambaling, 25 million liters daily (MLD); Mactan Rock Industries Inc., 20 MLD; and JE Hydro in Barangay Lusaran, 20 MLD.

This brings the total additional water supply to 65 MLD compared to last year, according to Garcia, though he could not specify previous supply figures.

In the same period last year, MCWD experienced a water production deficit of 42,452,000 liters due to the El Niño phenomenon, which resulted in consumers experiencing low pressure to no water supply.

Before the El Niño, MCWD had produced 310 million MLD. / JPS