By Malu Cadelina Manar
KIDAPAWAN CITY – The local water district here claimed at least 20,000 of their concessionaires will experience no water supply for six months, a top official said.
Engineer Sandy Alqueza, assistant general manager of the Metro Kidapawan Water District (MKWD), explained that some seven kilometers of their pipelines and other facilities were damaged by a strong quake on October 31 and later, aftershocks.
Of the MKWD’s five major supply lines, at least three incurred worst damages, he said.
Alqueza identified Lapaan springs in Barangay Perez; Ilian spring; and Saguing River, both in Makilala, as among those damaged by mudslides due to quakes.
He cited that in Lapaan springs alone, at least 263 liters per second of potable water supply was lost and 110 liters per second in Ilian springs.
Based on the data from the MKWD’s water system, its total pipe network is approximately 641,921 linear meters or equivalent to 398.89 miles or 627.4 kilometers of transmission, main, and distribution lines.
The damaged facilities, according to Alqueza, was estimated at P82,7 million.
They also lost millions of income from their concessionaires because of no water supply since October 31, he stressed.
Alqueza said they also needed P82.7 million to repair and rehabilitate their damaged pipelines, filtration plants, and other major facilities.
Most affected were concessionaires from Makilala after Ilian spring sources bogged down, he stressed.
Alqueza said they already applied for emergency loan assistance at the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) and they are not certain if the agency gets the needed amount.
If resources would be available, the repair and rehabilitation efforts would start soon.
“If we have the money right now, we can say our repairs will be completed after six months. Thus, our normal operations would start after that,” he explained.
To facilitate distribution of potable water to residents of Kidapawan City and Makilala, the MKWD has put up at least 14 water stations in the city, and two in Makilala town.
Alqueza assured these water stations are safe and potable.
“We received reports of cases of diarrhea after drinking our water from these stations. But I can assure the public we are giving out safe and potable water. If there are cases of water-borne diseases, it could be because their containers are not clean and those handling the water have dirty hands,” said Alqueza.