The best way to address the 300 million liters per day (MLD) water supply deficit in Cebu is by investing in desalination plants, according to local firm FDC Utilities Inc.
Juan Eugenio Roxas, FDCUI president and chief executive officer, said in a forum hosted by Stratbase that deep wells no longer work in the city due to salt water seepage in its aquifers.
Roxas said Cebu only has the Buhisan Dam constructed yet in 1911 as water its source and supply has not improved. Deep wells have since been prohibited but even if one digs, what comes out is contaminated salt water.
“We have no choice but to go into desalination, it is expensive but we have no choice,” Roxas said.
According to FDCUI, Metro Cebu requires at least 570 but existing facilities supply only 270 MLD.
“Our plan is to build an 80 MLD of desalination facility in Cebu to help solve the water crisis, so hopefully we will get that off the ground. The most expensive water is no water at all. It is going to be blended with the existing supply of water districts so it is not going to be that expensive,” Roxas said.
He noted desalination plants have been available in Cebu City the past five years but clearly inadequate to address the wide deficit that needs to be resolved.
In 2021, the Metropolitan Cebu Water District partnered with FDCUI in a water desalinization plant producing 30 MLD for Marigondon in Mactan Island, another 30 MLD facility at the South Road Properties and the remaining 20 MLD in Talisay City.
In a separate development, Carlos Primo David, Department of Environment and Natural Resources undersecretary for integrated environmental science, said rainfall that came with Tropical Cyclone Dodong the past five days helped restore water level at Angat Dam which now operates at its normal operating level of 180 meters.
“Although we’ve had these much rain in the past five days, the increase in water level in Angat will be good for five to seven days’ supply for Metro Manila. Theoretically, we need two months of that much rain falling. What I am trying to say is we are not out of the crisis yet,” David said.
Although he ruled out a water crisis, David said water level remains precarious.
“It is still manageable but it’s at 180 meters and increased by two meters the past five days. We need it to be up to around 208 and we have around five months to do that so we have enough water for the following year. Therefore, water conservation still needs to be done,” David said.
Data from the National Power Corp. show Angat Dam water elevation at 180.13 meters at the moment.
