City residents told to conserve water
City Councilor Jose Espinosa III asked Ilonggos to conserve water after the Sangguniang Panlungsod declared the city under the state of imminent calamity. Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD) is currently imposing water rationing due to scarcity of water from their source.
Espinosa said Ilonggos should brace for the worst after the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the dry season would extend up to the month of May.
A search at the net showed there are five basic ways to conserve water. These are: 1) Check every faucet in homes for leaks; 2) Check toilet bowls for leaks; 3) Don't shower to long or fill the tub too full; 4) Try to use automatic dish and clothes washing machines with full loads only; and 5) Water your lawn and garden with good sense. Do it early or late, not in midday heat.
Last week, the Sangguniang Panlungsod approved a resolution declaring the city under the state of imminent calamity because of limited water supply. However, before the passage of the resolution President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has already ordered for a cloud seeding operation in Iloilo and Negros Occidental.
MIWD's water supply dropped from 42,400 cubic meters per day to 22,500 cubic meters per day.
Data provided by MIWD Interim Manager Edwin Reyes showed that water produced from the water district's sources drastically reduced from 40,655 cubic meters per day to only 26,000 cubic meters per day. The primary source of water supply in the city is the Maasin Watershed.
MIWD also needs to produce 44,105,38 cubic meters per day of water to cater to the needs of its 128,000 city consumers. The normal production of water in the water treatment plant is 350 liters per second or 30,240 cubic meters per day.
The water district has nine water treatment plants and nine water pumping stations, mostly located in towns outside Iloilo City. They have two sources of water, the ground water sources and water treatment plants.
The scarcity of water from its sources prompted the rationing scheme in Iloilo. Before the rationing scheme, the water district can produce 141 liters per second or 12,182 cubic meters per day of water from ground water sources. Now, they can only have 7,862 cubic meters per day. The volume of water from their water treatment plants and water pumping stations are not enough to address the needs of the consumers.