RESIDENTS of Barangay Mariki in Zamboanga City ready their containers for water rationing. JULIE S. ALIPALA
NOWADAYS, members of the Damli family are using only a few liters of water for their bathing and daily hygiene needs since Zamboanga City’s taps have run dry.
Amira, the family matriarch, said she and her three children were sharing a 10-liter jerrican of water for bathing.
Water had become so expensive, she complained. A can that cost only P10 before now retails for P25. The price of a can of purified water for drinking doubled at P40.
“My income is being eaten up by our water needs. We already spent more than P2,000 for water in the past weeks,” said Amira, a tutor.
She had thought of relocating her family to where water was still available.
The scarcity of water due to the long dry spell has forced city households, even business establishments, to reduce consumption. The problem is felt by consumers in the villages of Mampang, Talon-Talon, Arena Blanco, San Roque and Malagutay.
A restaurant near City Hall has started serving food in disposable Styrofoam containers. “There’s no more water for washing dishes,” a server said.
Alejo Rojas, assistant general manager of the Zamboanga City Water District (ZCWD), said the situation could get worse if rain did not come in the next two weeks. “This April will be the hardest month. We are expecting the worst to happen,” he said.
As much as the water district would like to meet the needs of its consumers, the drought had greatly diminished the water supply, Rojas said. The two plants that ZCWD operates supply water to about 57,000 consumers.
“If there will be no rain within the next two weeks, we will be operating only one plant and the other plant will have to be shut down,” Rojas said.
The current water level at the ZCWD reservoir stands at 73.78 meters, way below the normal level of 74.5.
“Our production is just 44,600 cubic meters from the normal production of 90,000 cubic meters, so we are down to less than 50 percent of our production. This is the reason why water rationing is being implemented,” Rojas said.
Under the scheme, the water district delivers water for 12 hours in many areas of the city. Residents in other areas complain that they get water only every other day.
Al Alhabshi, a journalist who lives in Barangay Tumaga, said the situation in his village was much worse. For four days now, no water was coming from the faucets, he said.
“We are fortunate to have neighbors with deep wells. What is happening to the ZCWD? Every year, we have issues about drought, and every year, they cannot come up with programs that address the water crisis in Zamboanga City,” Alhabshi said.
Rojas said the ZCWD would purchase water from companies operating deep wells and rent private water tankers and trucks to make sure deliveries were made to areas not adequately served.