COWD: water crisis to last 10 more days
Water consumers in the western part of the city may have to endure little to no water coming out of their taps for while longer as the Rio Verde Water Consortium Inc. Is asking for 10 more days to complete the repairs of a busted water pipe, a Cagayan de Oro City Water District (COWD) official said Friday.
Engr. Bienvenido V. Batar, Jr., COWD Assistant General Manager, asked the public for more patience as the water shortage will continue until next week.
“Ang pipe na nag-leak naa sa Cagayan River, gawas sa loss sa tubig, dunay danger of contamination, so kinahanglan I-contain and I-repair sa siya,” he said.
“When they started to repair it early this week, ila man tong gi-divert ang pipeline na 200 mm diha sa Taguanao, so dunay supply na gamay pero dili enough. About 30% ang kakulangon sa water supply sa west side, dili gasaka sa elevated areas sa western part,” he said.
Batar said areas from barangay Patag to Opol town in Misamis Oriental, including Upper Carmen will be adversely affected by the water crisis.
Batar said the repair would take time since the leaked pipe is on the river bed. To repair it, Batar said, they still have to block off the water to access the leaking parts.
“This is a big work so we cannot do anything but wait,” he said.
While waiting for the water supply to normalize, Batar said the COWD is mobilizing its tankers to deliver water in the affected areas.
He said they also plan to tap the Bureau of Fire Protection to augment water supply.
“We would like to ask patience to our water consumers, rest assured we are coordinating with Rio Verde to bring water supply back the soonest possible, and we are also closely monitoring their work,” he said.
Some 80 percent of the city's population, living mostly in the western part of Cagayan de Oro, source their water from water supplied by Rio Verde to the COWD.
The water crisis in the western side of the city has been felt by residents since Tuesday this week.
Some 80 percent of the city's population, living mostly in the western part of Cagayan de Oro, source their water from water supplied by Rio Verde to the COWD.
Bubunawan River in Pualas, Baungon, Bukidnon is where Rio Verde Water Corporation sources its raw water, pumping the water to a chemical treatment system to produce World Health Organization-standard quality potable water.
The eastern part of the city remains unaffected as 100 percent of its water supply is sourced from COWD wells.
As of this writing, the COWD said the areas affected are still experiencing low pressure to no water supply.
“Temporarily, the Rio Verde is using their 400mm HDPE pipe along Pelaez bridge to continue delivering arounf 1,250 cubic meters per day,” COWD spokesperson Ladelle Sagrado said in an advisory.
Meanwhile, City Councilor Leon Gan wants the COWD to face the City Council to explain the continuing water supply problem .
“Hatagan gyud na og attention sa COWD kay wala ta kahibalo naunsa na,”Gan said.
Gan said he wanted to know the measures made by the COWD to solve the problem.
“Kinahanglan maka-explain ang COWD kay tubig baya ni. Unya para pud masayod ta unsay gikinahanglan ug i.correct,”Gan said.
The City Council’s minority floor leader said he may bring this matter up during the regular session on Monday, next week.
Councilor Nadya Emano-Elipe said many people are already frustrated by the delay in solving the water problem.
“Angay gyud tan-awon cause ang mga tao gabayad baya para sa maong serbisyo. Uyon kaayo ko nga ipatawag ang COWD para matubag and mahibal-an Kung Unsa gyud ang problema kay looy kaayo ang mga apektado,”Emano-Elipe said.
“Water district lang sa siguro ang ipatawag unless mo-Ingon sila nga ang gadala Karon sa water district is the Metro Pacific. Rio Verde supplier Lang man sa metro pacific,”Emano-Elipe added.
Fely Sato, a resident of Macanhan, Carmen, said low to no water supply has caused them too much hassle as it hampers their daily activities.
“Murag kapin semana na kini nga problema. Hasol kaayo gyud,”Sato said.