MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews/2 September) – Most of the city’s water concessionaires did not have water supply starting dawn today as a portion of the main pipeline connecting the source to the distributor burst out, the Malaybalay City Water District announced Friday morning.
Glenn Rose Ledesma, MCWD public information officer, said water from the city’s main source in Kibalabag watershed could not flow to the MCWD mainline for distribution because the steel pipe was destroyed leading to the Kimambong Treatment Plant.
Ledesma said over radio station DXDB that their Sumpong treatment facility could only serve a small portion of the concessionaires.
Portions of the city, she added, may have limited supply. But those in elevated areas may have no water at all. She invited the public to fetch water from their compound while the supply was cut.
MCWD buys most of its supply of water from the city government, which runs the Kibalabag water system.
Malaybalay Mayor Ignacio W. Zubiri said in a text message the bursting of the pipe was due to rust. As of 1:45 p.m. Zubiri said there is still no information if repair work could be finished within the day.
Tomas Taga, head of the city’s water supply system project management office, did not take this reporter’s calls for comments as of 4:40 p.m.
Juanito Aroa, MCWD general manager, said they received no advice yet if supply could resume today. As of 4:47 p.m., he said repair work is still ongoing. But he noted about 5:15 p.m. that welding work has been done.
Residents reached by MindaNews from different portions of the city said water started to flow from faucets late in the afternoon.
The city government sources surface water from the Kibalabag watershed through its P131-million water system project since 2008. (Walter I. Balane / MindaNews)
