By Glazyl M. Jopson
BACOLOD CITY – Water supply in seven villages in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, was restored Wednesday morning after a two-day disruption caused by flash floods that damaged the Medina Water Treatment Facility in Sitio Medina, Barangay Rizal, on Sunday.
The flash flood, triggered by heavy rains, damaged the intake tank, affecting around 4,000 of the 10,500 households in the city proper.
The affected areas included Barangays 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and Rizal.
Joe Alingasa Jr., head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), explained that the intake tank collects water from the river, which is then processed and filtered before distribution.
“This is the first time such an incident has occurred,” he said.
In response, the city implemented water rationing in the affected areas until the tank was repaired and the supply returned to normal on Wednesday.
Alingasa said the water supply resumed at around 11:40 p.m. on Tuesday but normalized the following day.
Meanwhile, Alingasa also reported that a landslide in Sitio Kamandagan, Barangay Rizal, affected five family members on Sunday, though no one was injured.
Flooding in Barangays 1 and 5 also impacted 76 houses, but evacuees were able to return home later that day as water levels receded.