Water Watch is pushing for linkages between Bacolod and its neighboring cities and towns to ensure water security, Bacolod Councilor Wilson Gamboa Jr. said yesterday.
         
Gamboa, who chairs the group, said he is in favor of the proposed memorandum of agreement between the Bacolod City Water District and the Murcia Water District, with the latter supplying water to Bacolod.

Under the contract, the MWD will supply Bacolod with clean potable water at 10 liters per second per month.
This is at no cost to Bacolod because there is an existing water pipe in the border of Mansilingan and Murcia, Gamboa said.

“As early as now, we should create linkages with other local government units to help augment the water requirement of Bacolod,” he said, citing the Central Negros Electric Cooperative that is sourcing power from Talisay, Bago and Murcia.
         
Gamboa said he believes the contract is advantageous to Bacolod because it involves government-owned and controlled corporations rather than for the city to tap water from a private company. There will be no capital outlay involved since it is the MWD that will find a way to supply water to Bacolod.
         
“Our only purpose is for Bacolod to have water security in case there will be a greater demand for water because our population is growing and for sure our industry is also growing,” Gamboa said.
         
Right now, there is a shortage of water, that is why it is being rationed in some areas in the city during the peak hours, he said.
         
Gamboa said almost half of the population of the city is not yet serviced by BACIWA, like parts of Granada, Alangilan, Sum-ag and Alijis. Some are sourcing water from deep wells.
         
He said he hopes to see the eastern portion of Bacolod supplied by Murcia and the southern portion, by Bago, he said.
BACIWA director Marichi Ramos had earlier said MWD claims to have a production of 38 LPS while the people of Murcia consume 28 LPS. Under the contract, they will supply water to Bacolod only if there is an excess, she said.

The MWD will sell water to Bacolod at P10 LPS. They are selling it to their consumers in Murcia at P15 LPS.

Ramos said she has also discovered from the Bacolod City Assessor’s Office that the source of spring water, called Alegria spring, is actually from the cadastre of Bacolod and not Murcia. “So we have preferential right over them to put a water system in the area because it belongs to the city.”
         
Gamboa said water is owned by the state. One has to get water rights from the National Water Resource Board to extract water in a certain area.
         
The advantage of the MOA with the MWD is that Baciwa, as the buyer, is the one that will set the parameters or terms of reference, like the quality of water, the price and the project cost, he said.
         
They are being vigilant on the issue because they fear that the proposal of Miya-Maynilad might be revived, Gamboa added.*CGS

back to top