New pumping station to secure water supply in Antique town over ‘dry spell’

SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – A new pumping station to be established in the municipality of Sibalom will ensure enough water for around 4,000 households and commercial establishments with the onset of the El Niño phenomenon.

En gr. Jonathan De Gracia, general manager of the Sibalom Water District (SWD), said on Wednesday that the Sibalom River is now drying up because of the dry spell, so they need to get water from the underground spring.

“We intend to establish an additional pumping station by next week or, if not within the month, to really make sure that we can meet the demand for water with the around 4,000 connections that we have,” he said.

He said that last year, t he pumping station they established in Barangay Panlagangan, in preparation for El Niño, enabled them to produce 300 cubic meters per hour, including those from other existing pumping stations.

They saw the need f or another pumping station in anticipation of increased demand since the dry spell would persist until the early second quarter of this year.

The proposed station can generate an additional 70 cubic meters of water per hour.

“Water demand is expected to increase further because households, aside from their water demand for bathing and washing dishes, would also need to water their plants to save them from wilting,” he said.

The watering of plants also consumes more water, estimated at at least two cubic meters of water per hour.

De Gracia likewise advised households to help conserve water, such as by watering plants only late in the afternoon so they will not evaporate faster and using basins when washing dishes.