ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 6 June)—Despite the intermittent rains the past few days after a long drought, the water supply from the Pasonanca Water Treatment Plant here is “not yet stable,” contributing to the shortage of almost 29 million liters per day (MLD) for the city’s needs, according to the Zamboanga City Water District (ZCWD).
MindaNews photo by FRENCIE L. CARREON
Reynaldo Cabilin, ZCWD general manager, said in an interview that as of June 3 morning, the current level at the treatment plant, which averages at 74.02 meters above sea level (masl), has lowered by a few centimeters because the rains have not been consistent.
The Pasonanca River, from where ZCWD draws water for the treatment plant, has been almost dry since February.
Cabilin said that as of May 2024, ZCWD produced 56.075 million liters per day (MLD) from the water treatment plant, 9.
026 MLD from the old reservoir, 31.
530 MLD from Prime Water Inc. Co. as the bulk water supplier, 17 MLD from 17 production wells, and 1.1 MLD from spring water sources.
The total of 114.731 MLD for May is still 28.79 MLD short from the needed 143.5 MLD to meet the demand of the people of Zamboanga.
Cabilin said in an interview that as of the morning of June 3, the current level at the treatment plant was at 73.96 masl as not all areas in the city have experienced rain.
Rationing still continues to be in effect in June at the city’s east coast, and parts of central Zamboanga, the ZCWD customer care team said in its social media page. It urged Zamboangueños to continue storing water in clean and covered containers enough to last for their scheduled dates when the area has water.
Cabilin, who was appointed general manager last year after serving ZCWD for 38 years, explained that the current water shortage across Zamboanga City has been due to climate change, population growth, urbanization, infrastructure issues, deforestation and land use changes.
“The rising global temperatures led to altered precipitation patterns, and more frequent droughts, all of which contributed to the reduced water stability,” he said.
“With the expansion of urban areas leading to increased water consumption and pollution, the increasing population has been demanding for more water for domestic use, agriculture, and industry. These all strained existing water resources,” Cabilin added.
He said they are now looking for other sources of water.
One such endeavor, he said, is the exploration and testing of deep well at Valley Subdivision in Barangay Divisoria being led by assistant general manager Marli de Fiesta.
If successful, the water will be used mainly for residents of the subdivision and eventually the whole Divisoria service area, Cabilin said
Last month, ZCWD launched its 17th production well in San Lorenzo Ruiz Village in Tetuan, now providing water to 927 households. (Frencie L. Carreon / MindaNews)
