SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur (MindaNews / 22 May)—The city council of Butuan has declared a state of calamity because of the city’s “extreme water shortage” brought about by the drought.
The state of calamity was declared through Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) Resolution No. 238-2024 during its regular session on Tuesday after Mayor Ronnie Vicente Lagnada’s recommendation through a similar resolution by the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
In the resolution, the SP cited a report of the PAGASA weather bureau that the drought has caused the reduction of rainfall in the area by 60 percent over the past three months, which is said to be “way below normal.”
The SP noted that since April 21, the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Department , the Filipino-Chinese Fire Brigade, and the Bureau of Fire Protection conducted daily water rationing to augment the water supply in areas with low to critical water supply, like the poblacion barangays and Barangay Dumalagan.
The council also considered the report of the Butuan City Water District (BCWD) about the significant drop in the normal water supply flow from Taguibo Aquatic Solutions Corp. from an average of 56.5 megaliters a day (MLD) to 48.49 MLD and still continuously decreasing.
As of May 21, the BCWD said in post on its Facebook page on Wednesday that water flow has dropped some more—to 30 MLD, or 53% of operating capacity.
The water sources from the Taguibo Dam watershed is the main source of water supply in the city.
The Caraga Center for Geo-Informatics (CCGeo) warned that the dam in the upstream of Taguibo watershed has almost dried up based on latest satellite data. CCGeo in its Facebook page even showed a photo of the dam with very little water.
CCGeo is an interdisciplinary center of Caraga State University that is devoted for the conduct of research, innovation and training activities in the field of geo-informatics.
“These images vividly illustrate the alarming changes overtime. The crisis poses a severe threat to our water supply, impacting both our daily lives and the environment,” CCGeo warned on Wednesday.
CCGeo urged Butuan City residents “to conserve water in our daily usage, support efforts to restore and protect our watershed and advocate for sustainable water management practices.”
Based on available data gathered by the City Council, more than 15 percent of the city’s population and more than 30 percent of the means of livelihood in agricultural, business and industrial sectors have been affected by the water supply shortage, urgently requiring emergency assistance.
With the declaration of the state of calamity, the city government, along with the affected barangays, may access their respective 30 percent Quick Response Fund for the implementation of projects, programs and activities to address the ongoing water shortage.
PAGASA noted that Butuan City, along with six other areas in the country, has already reached a sweltering 45-46 degrees Celsius of heat index as of May 21. (Chris V. Panganiban / MindaNews)