BACOLOD City – To improve this city’s water supply, PrimeWater Bacolod, in partnership with Bacolod City Water District (Baciwa), signed a bulk water supply agreement with Bacolod Bulk Water Inc. (BBWI) on Tuesday, June 25.
The agreement is expected to be fully implemented within this year and will benefit around 10,000 households in the southern areas of the city, including barangays Alijis, Felisa, Handumanan, Mansilingan, Pahanocoy, Singcang Airport, Sum-ag, Taculing, and Tangub.
Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, who witnessed the contract signing at the Bacolod City Government Center, said the deal, focused on injection point 2, aims to meet the city’s current demand by providing an additional 10,000 cubic meters or 10 million liters per day (MLD) on the first year, with a gradual increase of up to 25 MLD by the fifth year.
“We hope there will be a gradual turnaround from the worst situation during the El Niño, where our water supply decreased from 77 MLD to about 62, 64 MLD, that’s why we experienced water shortage,” Mayor Benitez said.
He said the city government remains committed to addressing the needs of the residents, adding that through the aforementioned deal, the city aims to enhance water services and provide sustainable solutions for consumers.
Last April, the city mayor bared that Bacolod required 125 MLD of water.
However, the city’s water supply has a capacity of only 70 MLD, and has decreased to 50 MLD due to the effects of El Niño, resulting in a shortfall of 20 MLD.
Mayor Benitez had also urged Baciwa to present a water security plan in response to water supply shortages in the city.
To recall, the city mayor ordered to supply water in areas in the city experiencing drought due to El Niño since the first week of April.
From April 9 to May 1 this year, the city government and its partners, through the “Patubig Sa Barangay” program, delivered some 526,000 liters of water to a total of 26,629 households in various barangays./PN
