BY MAE SINGUAY
BACOLOD City – This highly urbanized city is growing and needs more clean and potable water.
The Bacolod City Water District (Baciwa) sources water from 43 deep wells and two springs but these are now not enough, said Councilor Wilson Gamboa Jr., chairman of Waterwatch Council, a consumers’ organization.
“Some Baciwa consumers cannot avail themselves of good Baciwa service especially during peak hours, such as those in Barangay Villamonte,” Gamboa said.
Bacolod City has 61 barangays.
Gamboa is supportive of an earlier proposal for Baciwa to source water from the Murcia Water District (MWD).
There have been recent reports, however, that MWD backtracked.
In a proposed bulk water supply contract, Baciwa would connect to the water pipe of MWD.
Baciwa will pay MWD depending on the volume of water it receives from MWD each month.
In the proposal, Baciwa would pay MWD P10 per liter.
In Murcia, consumers pay MWD P15 per liter.
The proposed bulk water contract is favorable to Bacolod City, said Gamboa.
The Waterwatch Council, he said, is trying to gather the sentiments of all sectors about the proposal.
MWD could reportedly produce 38 liters of water per second – more than enough to meet the volume of water that the people of Murcia need (28 liters per second). Baciwa could avail itself of the excess water for the people of Bacolod.
Bacolod City had a total population of 511,820 as of 2010 census. As of that year, it was considered the most populous city in Western Visayas and the 17th most populous city of the Philippines.
Meanwhile, Baciwa director Marichi Ramos said she learned from the Bacolod City Assessor’s Office that Alegria spring in Murcia was actually from the cadastre of Bacolod.
“So we have preferential right over them to put a water system in the area. It belongs to (Bacolod) city,” Ramos said.
Gamboa said where the source of water belongs does not matter because the state owns the water.
Anyone can get water anywhere as long as the necessary permits are complied, such as the Environmental Compliance Certificate from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, he said./PN
