It was more than a year ago when Typhoon Odette made its first landfall in Visayas, leaving massive destruction in its wake. Among one of the hardest hit areas, Cebu City suffered property damages as high as P1.7 billion.
Apart from uprooted trees, flooded streets, roofs ripped from homes, and toppled electricity posts littered throughout its streets, Typhoon Odette also revealed a glaring vulnerability in Cebu’s drinking water systems. Among Cebuanos it was already known how the supply of potable water was increasingly failing to meet the rising demand; but with electricity compromised, pumps across the island province were left powerless. With even less water than what their meager supply provided before, the health and welfare of hundreds of thousands were at risk.
It took weeks for basic services—including electricity—to resume after typhoon Odette. Disaster recovery efforts proved to be more costly than usual, with some residents able to rebuild, while others were not.
But for water supply, in particular, the recovery it has made seems to not be enough to cover the needs of all. While the Queen City of the South continues its march towards progress, this basic component of everyday life may be lagging behind, becoming increasingly inaccessible. Should this alarming trend continue, it can threaten the health and safety of Cebuanos, and pose more threats down the line to livelihood, food security, and local businesses.
The Plight of Cebuano Farmers
One key sector that is still left reeling, after more than a year since the calamity, is Cebu City’s own agriculture. For an industry as water-dependent as farming, anything beneath a steady supply could be possibly detrimental.
Eliseo Cantano and his family, one among hundreds of Cebu’s small farming families, admits to feeling the heat.
“Paet ang among kahimtang diri sa bukid. Naa sa amo ang tinubdan sa tubig pero kami mismo walay tubig. Ang among panginabuhi apektado para ma-protektahan ang tubig sa taga-ubos,” he pointed out.
(Life is hard for us upland farmers. The water is sourced from our area but we ourselves do not have water. Our livelihood is affected by efforts to protect the water resource for lowland residents.)
In their farm based in Sitio Cobcawa in the mountain barangay of Adlaon, Cebu City, Cantano and his fellow farmers bemoan how their modest provisions have been compromised as well due to limited supply all over the island. Cantano’s family cultivates sweet corn, cauliflower, tomatoes, kangkong and pechay. But with the current shortage, they had to endure several instances where crops had to be sacrificed so their household could have enough water to use.
“Pinaka-importante ang tubig. Apektado dili lang atong gimbuhaton sa panimalay, kung dili ang ato usab nga panginabuhi. Panahon sa tinghuwaw (dry spell), mangamatay among mga tanom pero palabihon naman lang namo ang gamit sa panimalay,” he shared.
(Water is the most important resource. It’s essential not just to the day-to-day household activities, but also our livelihood. But during a drought, unfortunately, we have to sacrifice our crops to prioritize the needs of our families.)
Cebu’s modern history of water shortage had time and time again prompted proposals to the local government in finding alternative solutions to address the problem. For most of its locals in the mountain barangays, they are resigned to the fact that water scarcity is a cruel part of their daily lives.
But the gaps between supply and demand have been badgering communities for perhaps too long that according to Cantano, it has already caused several disputes between families tapped into the same water springs—particularly during droughts.
“Naay mga cistern nga mosawd sa ulan pero kung huwaw, taas kaayo ang panahon na walay uwan, usahay moabot 4 hangtud 6 ka buwan. Dili gyud kalikayan ang away-away sa mga pamilya labi na kung gamay nalang ang agas sa tubod,” Cantano recounted.
(We also have cisterns for rainwater but they would go empty during dry spells that can go on from 4 to 6 months. And this is when conflicts among neighbors occur.)
Meanwhile, residents in other barangays had to make do with a weekly routine of joining long queues for a communal faucet in their area, only to fill up a gallon or two of water.
The Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD)—which serves the cities of Cebu, Talisay, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu as well as the towns of Cordova, Consolacion, and Liloan—produces 240,000 cubic meters of water per day, which covers only 32 percent of the total water demand of its franchise area.
A Possible Solution
While Cebu’s growth is sure to keep demand increasing in the following years, its water situation remains in need of a concrete plan. MCWD itself has noted that groundwater sources may be compromised because of contamination, over extraction and saltwater intrusion, and has been exploring alternatives since.
And one that continues to gain traction is desalination, as a natural choice for a province surrounded by seawater. Discussions and debates, including many foreign-funded research and programs, have oftentimes pointed to it as one of the leading solutions.
However, while discussions continue and solutions are delayed, Cantano, his family, and thousands more with stories like theirs are seemingly left to their own devices.
And amidst these deplorable circumstances, the irony of the situation has not been lost on Cantano. “Siguro gipul-an na ang mga Cebuanos sa kakulangon sa tubig, mao nga nagsige og pangadye nga naay daghang tubig. Niabot lagi ang tubig pero pinaagi kang Odette.”
(Perhaps Cebuanos were so sick and tired of our water shortage, that we prayed for more water to come into our lives. So it did, in the form of Odette.)
“Diri sa bukid, naa gyud mag-away kabahin sa tubig kay kung magnihit, naa man sad uban mamintaha,” he lamented.