Bacolod constructs facility to address water shortage amid El Niño

Bacolod, Negros Occidental. INQUIRER FILES

BACOLOD CITY — The local government in this city is constructing a water supply and filtration facility aimed to draw 20 million liters per day (MLD) of water to address its current water shortage.

Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said the city government’s construction of the Matab-ang River water supply and filtration facility cost about P50 million and would fast track the delivery of water to the reservoir through a 1.8 kilometers pipeline.

He said the water from the Matab-ang River would be the urgent solution to Bacolod’s water shortage problem that has been exacerbated by a drop in existing supply by about 15 percent because of the El Niño phenomenon.

READ: El Niño waning, La Niña to develop in second half of 2024

“The El Niño phenomenon will definitely cause a further drop in water supply that is why we are fast tracking the projects,” Benitez said in an interview on Monday, March 11.

Benitez said Bacolod would coordinate with Talisay City in the implementation of the project.

“They, we will try to finish the design and technical aspect by this week so we can start mobilizing the project,” he said.

PrimeWater will pay Bacolod for the water at the rate set by other bulk water suppliers and it will be assured that there will be no rate increase.

“This will be hitting two birds with one stone – you solve the problem of water shortage and at the same time the city establishes an economic enterprise,” said Caesar Distrito, the mayor’s spokesman.

The Matab-ang River project will be funded by the city’s Disaster Risk Reduction Management.

Also underway is the laying of pipelines for the tapping of 5 to 10 MLD of water from the Bocal Bocal Springs in Barangay Alangilan to connect to the nearest injection point of PrimeWater.

Benitez said the Bocal Bocal project is being undertaken by a private group in coordination with PrimeWater at no cost to the city government.

“We hope to have that finished within a very short time,” he said.

Benitez has issued Executive Order 014, Series of 2024 for the creation of a coordinating action team to expedite the implementation of vital infrastructure to improve water supply for Bacolodnons.

The mayor said they would have to determine if a declaration of a state of emergency would be necessary because of the water shortage problem.

Benitez also said he is still open to the entry of another water concessionaire into Bacolod.

He said several groups have expressed interest and the city government is just waiting for their letters of intent.