Bacolod braces for water rationing as supply continuously drops

BACOLOD CITY — This highly urbanized city is preparing to conduct water rationing in areas with limited or no access as supply continues to dwindle this hot, dry season.

“I directed the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO) to prepare water tanks and deploy water trucks to augment rationing efforts in areas with limited or no access to water,” Mayor Greg Gasataya said in a statement Friday.

On April 16, Gasataya met with PrimeWater Bacolod City engineers, who presented contingency plans to prevent further shortage.

PrimeWater reported that its overall production capacity has decreased from 100 million liters per day (MLD) to 87 MLD, with further reductions expected as the heat persists.

The utility firm also noted that supply from Bacolod Bulk Water Inc. in the city’s northern areas has dropped significantly from 24 MLD to 16 MLD.

Supply further plummeted to 11 MLD due to ongoing repairs for pipeline leakages and reservoir damage, bringing the total reduction in the north to 13 MLD.

“I am urging PrimeWater to implement immediate solutions to address the city’s ongoing water supply issues,” the mayor said.

During the coordination meeting, PrimeWater said it will solve the reservoir problems that have caused low water pressure across the city.

The firm said that water delivery is being done for villages currently without supply, including Villamonte, Estefania and Taculing.

In March last year, the city government also went into into water rationing. /apl