ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 30 March) — Residents of Zamboanga City will have rationed water supply in their homes starting Thursday, April 2.

The Zamboanga City Water District (ZCWD) announced via their social media page that consumers in the East Coast and some parts of Central area served by Pasonanca Water Treatment Plant will only have 10 to 11 hours of water supply effective April 2. In some areas, water will be available for only five to eight hours. 

The reduction is due to the declining water level at the source. As of Monday morning, the reservoir level was recorded at 74.08m — considered critical and below the normal level of 74.20m.

“The intermittent rains  have not brought the raw water supply to normal operating levels,” the ZCWD said in a statement. 

The Pasonanca river, where much of the city’s water supply comes from, has nearly dried up. Some residents were seen taking advantage of smaller streams of water to do their laundry.

Following the announcement, many residents rushed to buy large containers to store water. Even before the scheduled water rationing implementation, several  households have already been experiencing low water pressure.

Meanwhile, farmers are also feeling the effect of the extreme heat. 

Randy Boeres, a farmer from Gapuh, Mercedes said, their irrigation canal has already dried up.

In anticipation of the long dry spell, he has already planted watermelons, while others are trying to grow crops that require minimal water. 

“Pasensyahan na lang talaga. Gulay na lang muna, gaya ng priholes, kalabasa,” Randy said.

The Zamboanga Weather Station reported on Monday morning that  temperatures in the City will range  from 25°C to 34°C. In recent days however, the heat index had frequently breached the 40°C mark. (Queenie Casimiro / MindaNews)