ILOILO CITY: The local government here is holding a series of meetings with water utility distributors to know their plans to improve supply in Iloilo City.
‘I think we are facing a water crisis in Iloilo, that is why I am meeting with Metro Pacific. I want to find out since they have been operating in the city for five years if our water situation has improved,’ said Mayor Jerry P. Treñas in a press conference on Monday.
After meeting the Metro Pacific Iloilo Water (MPIW), Treñas will also meet with another water utility, South Balibago Waterworks.
He said he had already talked to Manila Water last month if it plans to come in.
MPIW supplies around 26 percent of the city, while South Balibago’s franchise covers the Jaro district.
‘We cannot afford to say that we want to be the third most livable city in the Philippines if we cannot provide potable pipe water to a greater number of Ilonggos. So we have to talk to them, then we make a decision. If we need new investors, we’ll need new investors,’ he added
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Iloilo City is currently under a state of calamity due to water scarcity, and amid the onset of the rainy season, water rationing in some barangays continues.
Treñas said even the city hall relies on water rationing.
MPIW, in a previous statement, said it is addressing ‘the challenges of infrastructure and supply head-on.’
It is looking at recovering 10 million liters per day (MLD) of water losses with its ongoing pipe rehabilitation using the Sahara Mobile Leak Detection, and Tyfo- Fibre Wrap Technology as part of its short-term plan.
The pre-development works for its 60.5 MLD desalination plant have already started in January, which, when completed, is expected to almost double its 70 MLD target for Iloilo City.
Treñas said the city is going to wait for the desalination plant, which will take around 18 months before it can start operations, but there is a need to ‘come up with something’ amid the water scarcity.
Source: Philippines News Agency
