Mindanaotoday.com | Oro rations water amid supply crisis
By: Uriel Quilinguing
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Queueing for water from tanker trucks and public faucets were resorted to Saturday (Dec. 17) afternoon by hundreds of village residents in western Cagayan de Oro and Opol town, Misamis Oriental.
This, after the bulk-water contractor of the Cagayan de Oro Water District (COWD) failed to restore damaged pipeline across a river at Taguanao area, Indahag village Friday (Dec. 16) night, rendering about 340,000 residents in 15 villages waterless.
Friday night’s COWD advisory named areas of no water or minimal flow of water due to low pressure: Bayabas, Bonbon, Bulua, Canitoan, Carmen (Upper and Lower), Iponan, Kauswagan, Lumbia, Pagatpat, Patag, and Opol, Misamis Oriental.
“We have to resort to remedial measures after they (Cagayan de Oro Bulk Water Inc. or COBI) informed us they need three days to restore water supply,” said Engr. Bienvenido Batar Jr., COWD general manager, in a hastily called press conference Saturday afternoon.
In Friday’ notice posted online, COBI was supposed to complete the “emergency leak repair” at 10 that night, but didn’t.
Batar said they were notified shortly before 6 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, that the “extent of the damage on their bridge crossing would entail further repair works” and that they have to “install a support for the structure and these additional works may take 3 days to complete.”
He said they are hoping these repair and additional works would be completed Monday (Dec. 19) night, so that water supply would normalize the next day.
So far, COWD has tapped its standby facility, Production Well No. 10A, in Calaanan, Canitoan to address the (water) supply shortfall in the area as well as that of nearby Iponan and Pagatpat villages.
Aside from this, COWD has a booster pump in Balulang village, supplying about 40 percent of water needs of western areas of Cagayan de Oro, including that of most populous Carmen, Kauswagan, Bayabas and Bonbon.
Batar said COBI supplies about 60 percent of water demand in at least 10 villages, including that of Opol, Misamis Oriental, particularly the villages of Barra, Igpit, Luyong Bonbon, Poblacion, and Malanang.
Two COWD-owned three-cubic-meter tankers have started distributing water to affected area and that they were assured by Mayor Rolando Uy of two more tankers.
These include the two family-owned marked “Klarex Uy” water tankers (about eight to 10 cubic meter storage capacity), and that of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.
Uy’s and CDRRMO’s tankers are to augment COWD water rationing operations at Patag and Bulua villages, two of the badly affected by the water supply crisis due to their relatively high elevation.
COWD has yet to get a word from the Bureau of Fire Protection for additional water tankers, in response to its request, as of this writing.
Five public faucets, attached to fire hydrants, have been installed on Saturday, Dec. 17, and these are at Vamenta Blvd, Carmen (near Jollibee); Calamansi Drive (fronting Social Security System building), Carmen; crossing Marlags in Canitoan; Kauswagan Highway (fronting Save More); and COWD Sub-office, Kauswagan.
In its advisory that was posted on its social media account and was also circulated the reporters Sunday, COWD management said, “COBI has completed repairs on their leaking transmission line at Taguanao earlier than expected, and so, at around 3:00 a.m. today [Dec. 18] they have resumed delivery of bulk water supply to COWD.”
“The affected barangays in the west of the service area will be able to expect return of their water supply once the required distribution pressure has been reached. This may take one to two hours for nearby areas, while elevated and distant areas will likely have their water back late this evening,” it added. (MT)
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