BACOLOD CITY – The city government is planning to allocate P50 million for the construction of pipe-laying facilities as a prompt intervention to address the water shortage here amid the El Niño phenomenon.
MAYOR Alfredo Abelardo ‘Albee’ Benitez meets Bacolod City Water District (Baciwa)-PrimeWater officials at the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC) to address the water shortage in Bacolod City. (Photo courtesy of Bacolod PIO)
Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez, in a press conference on Monday, March 11, said funds will be sourced from the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO).
Benitez held an emergency meeting with the Bacolod City Water District (Baciwa)-PrimeWater and other concerned parties at the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC) last week to discuss and assess the measures needed for the augmentation project aimed at alleviating the ongoing water shortage.
Baciwa-PrimeWater had earlier confirmed the water shortage of 20 million liters per day (MLD) here and supply further decreased by 12 percent or 15 MLD due to the dry spell.
“In reality, there’s no water. That’s why I’m pushing the city to take an active role in order to compensate the loss of water supply,” Benitez said.
Benitez stressed that they need to look for water, allow it to be filtered, and put it into the system.
As an alternative solution to the pressing water shortage in this city, Benitez said they have identified two water sources – the Matab-ang River on the boundaries of Bacolod and Talisay cities and the Bocal-Bocal spring in Barangay Alangilan here – which they will tap to augment the existing water sources of the city to improve the water supply here.
Benitez said that 20 MLD will be sourced from Matab-ang River while five MLD or possibly 10 MLD will be taken from the Bocal-Bocal spring.
Pipe fusion and subsequent pipe-laying at the Bocal-Bocal spring began on March 8.
Once these tasks are completed, the spring is expected to provide five MLD of water, significantly improving the water situation in Eroreco, Mandalagan, Villa Angela, and Villamonte within the next two months.
Benitez said that he will reach out to the National Water Resources Board to secure the water rights and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for the right-of-way.