(L-R) MCWD's Planning Division Manager Emmanuel Espina, Corporate Planning Manager John Makabenta, Project Department Manager Tommy Gonzales, and PAG-ASA Visayas Regional Office Division Weather Specialist Jomer Eclarino during the Kapihan sa PIA on April 23, 2025 in Cebu City. (PIA7)
CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) – The Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD) has assured that there will be no water shortages in their coverage areas during the summer months.
MCWD corporate planning manager John Makabenta said the water supply for the eight local government units (LGUs) in their coverage area remains stable despite the onset of the warm season.
“Dili na magkaproblema ron sa atong summer months. In fact, sa atong panahon karon, nanghangyo pa ang MCWD sa atong potential konsumidor nga kung pwede, gamita ninyo ang MCWD as your main water source,” he said.
(We won’t be having problems this summer. In fact, with our current situation, MCWD is even encouraging potential consumers to consider using MCWD as their main water source.)
MCWD has activated desalination plants to meet consumer demand and ensure supply sufficiency in response to the onset of El Niño last year,
These additional sources allow the water district to rely on more dependable water systems, particularly as surface and groundwater sources continue to face challenges.
“Ang MCWD ron naa na’y back-up nga mga sources, especially sa panahon sa tig-init nga ang maigo dayon mao ang surface water. Sama anang mga sapa ug mga dam, mokunhod jud na ang ilang produksyon. So, kaning atong mga sources makatabang to mitigate in the event nga magkuwang ang atong tubig sa surface water,” he said.
(MCWD now has backup sources, especially for the dry season when surface water is the first to be affected. Rivers and dams, for example, significantly decrease their output. So these additional sources help us mitigate that, so in case our surface water supply runs low, we can draw from other sources to meet the needs of our consumers.)
Meanwhile, MCWD project department manager Tommy Gonzales said the weather outlook from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAG-ASA) supports their confidence in current supply levels.
“Kung atong kwentahon ang atong supply, paigo ra kaayo. Kay ang atong surface water naa pa, ang atong bag-ong supply karon gikan sa dagat, sufficient ra. So wala’y angay kabalak-an ang mga konsumidor,” Gonzales assured.
(If we calculate our supply, it’s more than enough. Our surface water is still available, and our new supply from the sea is also sufficient. So, consumers have nothing to worry about.)
MCWD’s water composition includes 60 percent groundwater, 20 to 25 percent brackish water, 15 percent surface water, and the remaining from desalinated sources.
MCWD has 209,000 service connections catering to eight LGUs, namely: Talisay City, Cebu City, Mandaue City, Consolacion, Liloan, Compostela, and the entire Mactan island including Lapu-lapu City and Cordova.
MCWD currently supplies approximately 300,000 to 305,000 cubic meters of water per day.
MCWD also assured the public that scheduled service interruptions will be announced at least three days in advance, while emergency leaks or repairs will be handled swiftly and are not expected to occur frequently.
Weather outlook
PAG-ASA has declared the start of the warm and dry season on March 26, 2025.
PAG-ASA Visayas Regional Office Division weather specialist Jomer Eclarino said Cebu can expect generally fair weather with a low chance of tropical cyclones: 0 to 1 this April, and 1 to 2 in May.
“Starting Holy Week until the end of April, wala gihapon ta kita sa possibility nga magkaroon og bagyo, and generally fair weather ta. In terms of rainfall, ang atong assessment karong month sa Abril is way below normal or below normal lang ang atong record,” said Eclarino.
(Starting Holy Week until the end of April, we still haven’t seen any possibility of a typhoon, and we’re experiencing generally fair weather. In terms of rainfall, our assessment for this month of April shows it is either way below normal or just below normal.)
While rainfall from January to April 2024 dropped by 68 percent due to El Niño, this year’s reduction is only 27 percent for the same period due to the termination of La Niña.
He said Cebu is expected to experience near-normal rainfall this May.
However, Eclarino cautioned the public about rising temperatures as the heat index may hit extreme levels in May.
Heat index is a measure that combines air temperature and humidity to indicate how hot it actually feels.
Eclarino said the transition to the rainy season is expected by the third week of May.
“We forecast this end of April moabot ni siya ug 41 to 42 degrees, and sa Mayo up to 43 or 44 – so danger category.” he added.
(We forecast that by the end of April, it could reach 41 to 42 degrees, and by May, it may go up to 43 or 44 degrees – which falls under the danger category.)
Based on PAG-ASA records, Cebu’s heat index reached 40 degrees Celsius last April 8. (MYP/PIA7)
