Ignored by City Council, Treñas turns to NDCC
Iloilo City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas will ask the help of the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) in order for the city to be placed under a state of imminent danger after the Sangguniang Panglungsod refused his request.
Treñas said the declaration of the city under imminent danger is needed so they could use portion of the calamity fund to spend for mitigating measures against the effects of El Niño phenomenon.
Treñas said he does not want the city populace to suffer and blame him for doing nothing to help provide enough fresh potable water supply as the city continues to reel on severe water shortage due to the effects of climate change and long hot summer.
The city mayor said the people should go instead to their city councilors who ignore the request and blame them for dilly-dallying the passage of a declaration that will allow the use of portion of the P60-million calamity funds for 2010.
Treñas said the amount would be spent for the purchase of gasoline for trucks carrying water tanks to be delivered to the barangays and to buy chemicals for water treatment as well as spend for water supplies taken from private wells outside of the city.
The RDCC organized the regional Task Force on El Niño last February 25 composed of several government and private agencies out to enhance coordination of agencies in the formulation and implementation of measures to mitigate the effects of El Niño particularly on agriculture and water supply.
The task force reported that Western Visayas is gradually experiencing the slow onset of El Niño and is forecasted to reach its peak by March and April to affect agriculture and the availability of water which may reach a critical level.
Treñas said the City Environment and Natural Resources office (CENRO) reported to him the critical level of potable water supply at the Maasin watershed and at the Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD) production plants in Maasin and Sta Barbara, Iloilo.
MIWD is currently rationing the supply of potable water to the different districts of the city during the midnight and early morning supply.
But mostly, faucets do not give water during the day.
The city mayor also said that media practitioners could conduct a media observation trip at the Maasin dam and see the critical water level that severely affects the potable water supply in the city and the rest of MIWD coverage areas. (PNA)
