96% of deep wells in Baguio illegal – BWD

BAGUIO CITY: Ninety six percent of the more than 500 residential and commercial deep wells that are operating in the city are illegal, a senior official of the Baguio Water District (BWD) said recently.

BWD general manager Engr. Salvador Royeca said that the proliferation of illegal deep wells in various parts of the city had caused the depletion of the city’s aquifers that also affected the water district’s capability to provide the increasing number of consumers with adequate supply of safe and potable water.

The BWD official claimed that of the more than 500 deep wells in the city, only 20 were issued the necessary permits from the National Water Resources Board (NWRB). This means 96 percent of the city’s deep wells are illegal, he said.

Royeca pointed out that there should be a concerted effort among concerned government agencies, the city government and the public to go after the operation of illegal deep wells in the city.

He said the efforts of the NWRB in coordination with the water district and the local government to conduct regular monitoring and inspections on the operation of illegal deep wells is a welcome development to help in ensuring the sufficient supply of potable water for BWD’s consumers.

For his part, BWD nonrevenue division manager Engr. Fernando Peria said that of the more than 200 deep wells that were inspected by the NWRB from October to November

last year, only 10 percent have permits that were issued for the said purpose.

Earlier, the local government, through a council resolution from the previous administration, requested the NWRB to allow the city to intervene in every application that will be filed for the operation of deep wells in the city.

Royeca, however, said that there is nothing wrong in the operation of deep wells in the city but the owners of the said wells should pass through the stringent process prescribed under NWRB rules and regulations to ensure that their operations will not affect the water district’s operations.

He urged consumers to report to the water district, to the local government or to the NWRB the presence of illegal deep wells in their respective places.

BWD operates 68 deep wells with duly issued permits, four springs and two catchment basins as its source of safe and potable water supply being provided to its over 48,000 consumers in the city.