KIDAPAWAN CITY (MindaNews / 15 April) – Sources of potable water for the Metro Kidapawan Water District (MKWD) has been continually declining due to the dry spell.
Engineer Sandy Alqueza, MKWD assistant general manager, said the decline as of Wednesday was already at 40 percent, which is at least 13 percent worse compared to last month’s data.
He cited two spring sources – the Inanapo Spring in Barangay Ilomavis in Kidapawan and Notongon Spring in Barangay Buhay, Makilala – where the decrease in the production is already considered “alarming.”
From the normal production of 100 liters per second, as of April 15, these two spring sources could only generate at least 20 liters per second.
Alqueza said that the decrease in their production could also be due to the ground shaking due to the series of earthquakes the province experienced in October last year.
He disclosed that several of their spring sources have been diverted to other areas after the massive shaking of the ground.
One of those affected was the Ilian Spring in Barangay Buhay, Makilala, where four of their intake boxes were totally wrecked after the quakes.
The Ilian Spring supplies 70 percent of MKWD’s concessionaires in Makilala town and 30 percent in Kidapawan City, data showed.
As part of the agency’s contingency plan, Alqueza said they intend to implement rotational scheduling of water supply in specific areas, which starts on Thursday.
Those affected are mostly residents in low-lying villages as the agency will prioritize concessionaires in highly elevated areas. (Malu Cadelina Manar / MindaNews)
