CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) — With 76 percent of their coverage area served, the Carcar Water District (CWD) reported that their services cover all barangays in the City of Carcar and continues to engage initiatives to improve their current services.
CWD regional general manager Atty. Edward L. Remo revealed that their attainment is the highest in the region.
“That 76 percent, that is the highest in the entire region,” Remo said.
During the 27th episode of the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas, Remo said that one of the reasons why some households have yet to avail of their services is due to financial concerns.
“They are living far from our distribution lines. Most of them are located in the mountain barangays,” he explained.
CWD used a double pump system in two areas in the city to deliver the needed potable water.
As one of the partners of the Vitens Evides International (VEI), a water provider from the Netherlands, CWD engaged with them in a two-phase project that reached a total of 3,243 households, bringing to 18,108 the total number of individuals who benefited from this project.
“We are also assisting five schools because there are schools in the mountain barangays that don’t have access to water but because of this program, they were able to obtain access with a potable water supply,” Remo added.
The project has also supported their local hospital to ensure continuity of their water supply.
Another challenge why some households are not benefiting from their water services is the non-revenue water (NRW) or “systems loss.”
NRW is water that has been produced and is “lost” before it reaches the household and remains unaccounted for in the system.
“This was a call in this new administration because there are a lot of areas where households are not served because of the huge volume of water lost,” Remo said.
With 17.97 percent NRW since 2023, Remo reported that CWD has started to meet their target which was at 18 percent.
With the same 18 percent target for 2024, CWD’s NRW as of November is only 15.11 percent.
“We are able to optimize the utilization of the water supply by controlling the volume of water that is being lost,” Remo said.
Water sanitation, additional water supply
Remo explained that water districts are not only providing water supply but also covering sanitation.
CWD is now lobbying for an ordinance on the septage management implementation where households will be required to dislodge their septic tanks.
In view of the increasing population, there is a risk of possible contamination of the groundwater.
“They only dislodge their septic tank when it’s already stuck up,” Remo said.
CWD has obtained two additional water sources this year: Proper Perrelos Well and the Danawan/Funrock Well, which respectively released 18 and 6 liters per second (lps) of water.
Carcar water resources currently relies on four springs and 18 wells, and aims to sustain not less than 30 percent reserve water in case of dry season or El Niño. (JJT/PIA 7)
