By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD CITY – Around 10,000 households, particularly in the southern area of this city, will enjoy better water supply this year.
This development follows the signing of a bulk water supply agreement by PrimeWater and its joint venture partner, Bacolod City Water District (Baciwa), with Bacolod Bulk Water Inc. (BBWI).
The agreement was signed in the presence of Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez at the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC) last Tuesday. The goal is to enhance the water supply for residents.
The agreement for Injection Point 2, based in Murcia, Negros Occidental, aims to address the city’s current water demand by providing an additional 10,000 cubic meters, or 10 million liters per day (MLD), in the first year, progressively increasing up to 25 MLD by the fifth year.
“As part of our commitment to provide a more sustainable water supply to our consumers, we are progressively shifting from groundwater to surface water to efficiently improve the water supply and quality in the city,” said Engr. Gladys Kempis, PrimeWater operations head for Visayas and Mindanao, in a statement.
PrimeWater President Engr. Roberto Fabrique Jr. stated that PrimeWater and Baciwa are implementing targeted solutions and initiatives to ensure improved water access and quality across Bacolod City. “This initiative underscores our commitment to enhance water services and provide a sustainable supply to our consumers,” he added.
The areas set to benefit from this project include Barangays Mansilingan, Handumanan, Felisa, Alijis, Tangub, Taculing, Pahanocoy, Sum-ag, and Singcang-Airport.
“I have intervened and made sure that the local issues would be resolved because of the necessity in our water supply. So now, they are signing again, and hopefully, we will wait for the production and delivery of the water supply,” Benitez said during Tuesday’s press briefing.
With this development, Benitez reported that the city’s current water production is at its highest, about 84 MLD, up from the previous 77 to 80 MLD.
Benitez described the signing as another milestone in water production that will increase the water supply. He expressed hope that the city could reach its target of 120 MLD.
“When we reach 120 MLD, we will assume we could reach 24/7 water supply. That’s what we’re focusing on right now,” the mayor said.
Despite this progress, Benitez acknowledged that the city is still experiencing a water shortage as it has not yet reached its target supply. However, he remains hopeful that local government initiatives will improve the situation.
The effects of the El Niño phenomenon have worsened the water crisis, decreasing the city’s water supply from 77 MLD to about 62 MLD, according to Benitez.
He is still waiting for the water security plan he requested from Baciwa, which will address the effects of El Niño and provide an overall planning perspective for water supply.
Last month, residents in 11 areas received an additional five MLD of water from the Bocal-Bocal Spring in Barangay Alangilan.
The areas that directly benefited from the additional water supply included Villa Angela Subdivision, Barangay Villamonte, and several others.
Aside from these two water sources, Baciwa-PrimeWater identified additional sources, including 1.8 MLD from Highland Hills, two MLD in Forbes Hill, and seven MLD from 11 Deepwell Optimization.
Benitez announced that the city discontinued the water rationing program following these improvements in water supply.
