BY JOHNNY NOVERA
RECENTLY, for two days the Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD) lost its water supply from Flo Water Resources Iloilo, Inc. which cut-off delivery because the water district reportedly became delinquent in paying its account.
Poor Dr. Encarnacion, the MIWD chairman. He did a lot of explaining why the water supply was cut-off.
Does MIWD not have a manager who should have attended to such operational problems?
In the first place, why did MIWD make a contract with Flo Water for a big volume of water delivery knowing that its pipes are not capable of receiving them, not to say of the leaks in many places for lack of maintenance?
It seems that water should no longer be a problem for Iloilo with Flo Water ready to deliver the quantity that MIWD needs from its water source.
MIWD, however, has to upgrade its pipes and water service to homes and businesses. This is urgent because of the imminent growth of Iloilo as a commercial and regional center.
Considering the expanded demand for water service, we see no reason why MIWD cannot get financing and operate profitably with the right leadership.
At present, because of poor water supply, many residents served by the water franchise are not totally relying anymore on MIWD for their water source.
Water from the pipes flow only in the early mornings even if you own a booster pump. Many residents have dug private wells to assure themselves of continuous water supply without necessarily being dependent on MIWD anymore.
As we were writing this piece, we came upon Republic Act 6716 passed in 1989 that calls for the construction of water catchment facilities in every barangay of the country by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
The law also requires that we organize the Barangay Waterworks and Sanitation Association (BWSA) to build wells and avail of other sources of water in our area.
The appropriate committee in the Sanggunians of our cities and towns can follow up this law and implement it to take advantage of the benefits it can bring to the people. (For comments or reactions, please e-mail tojnoveracompany@yahoo.com)/PN
