Water production in quake-hit Kidapawan 80-percent restored

KIDAPAWAN CITY (MindaNews) – The Metro Kidapawan Water District (MKWD) has already restored its water production by 80 percent, three months after four strong quakes hit the city and other parts of Mindanao in October last year, an official said.

MKWD assistant general manager Sandy Alqueza said they used the more than P25-million loan from the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) in restoring their damaged facilities.

Alqueza said they have yet to receive over P50 million from the P82.7million loan from LWUA which they applied for in November.

Damage to the facilities was estimated at P82.7 million, data from the MKWD showed.

Alqueza reported the progress of restoration during the second day of the five-day public hearing on the proposed water rate increases held on Wednesday.

He said their biggest challenge is the reconstruction of their facilities at the spring in Barangay Ilian that supplies almost all of their connections in Makilala town.

Part of the P25-million emergency loan from LWUA was used to restore their damaged spring sources at Barangay Ilian, MKWD said.

The quakes in October resulted in massive landslides that destroyed Ilian spring, which also supplies their reservoirs in Kidapawan City, it added.

The public hearing on the proposed water rate adjustments was among the requirements for another loan worth P561 million the MKWD has applied with LWUA, said Alqueza.

The bigger bulk of the loan will be used for source development projects.

The demand for more water connections in MKWD’s service areas increases by 12 percent every year or a production of 2,300 cubic meters per day, Alqueza said.

The public hearing will continue until March 2 while the new rates take effect in April. (Malu Cadeliña-Manar/MindaNews)