HOW can concessionaires hold Bacolod City Water District’s (Baciwa) top management accountable for failure to accomplish its mandate to “provide safe, abundant, affordable and potable water to the most number of Bacoleños” and to “satisfy and serve well, the consumers, the life and reason of the District’s existence?”
Last September 29, Baciwa posted water service interruptions that covered well #37 in Felisa. It has been nine days since Baciwa then, and we are still deprived of water for 17-18 hours daily. At home, we have to stay up late so we can fill our pails with water. Instead of a 24/7 uninterrupted water service, we got flailed with a 17/7/7 (17 hours interrupted service/7 hours delivery/7 days).
Upon the recommendations of its Customer Relations, I called Baciwa’s production and engineering at 433-4629 on October 5. I managed to talk to Engr. Arthur John Ramírez.
Itturned out that affected areas – or at least, Alijis – will have to wait for two more days. He expects that – tentatively – water service will normalize by October 7. Well, the weekend came and the promised relief turned out to be that: a promise. And still no relief.
What are we to do with Baciwa? The public utility is a public natural monopoly. If its engineers want an eight work hours, what can consumers do? After all, they still get paid their salaries regardless of their (lousy) performance.
Unlike private companies, Baciwa is impervious to market signals as a public entity. In private companies, the organization has to consistently shape up. Or get shipped out of business with bankruptcy when other companies perform better with their services.
Worldwide, as water sources get scarce and urban water demands increase, countries are exploring the institution of using the market through the purchase of permanent water rights or leasing water on a temporary basis for service delivery.
Through this market-based instruments, private service companies have to buy or lease water rights from the State. This way, private companies are compelled to compete with other service providers and invest in more expensive or complicated water supply options such as long-distance water importation, water reuse, or even desalination.
Through water-rights systems, the State creates a competitive environment where water trading will lead toward the establishment of a water market. This competition will force private companies to ensure effective and efficient water service delivery – or face bankruptcy.
To a certain extent, a water market already exists in the country, including Negros Occidental. A case in point is the marketing of bottled drinking water. Because of competition, profiteering can be minimized. Who would want to buy expensive water supplies?
Currently, Baciwa consumers are at the mercy of the utility’s inefficient and ineffective service deliveries. Water users have no option but to bear the lousy services and rant – and nothing else.
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(bqsanc@yahoo.com)