By Kit Bagaipo
The Bohol Chronicle
There is an impending crisis of potable water in Tagbilaran City if new wells are not drilled in neighboring towns to meet the growing demand from consumers.
Water consumers from various points in the city have complained over Station dyRD after experiencing water service interruptions and low water pressure. Some areas could only be supplied water for a few hours.
Provincial Board Member Alfonso Damalerio II bared in an interview with the Chronicle yesterday that in a meeting with Bohol Water Utility Inc. (BWUI) manager Engr. Romy Robles, the latter admitted BWUI could no longer supply potable water to its concessionaires in the next three years.
This if they could not explore other groundwater sources other than the wells in the city and Corella town, Damalerio said.
The present scenario requires additional water treatment plants which would mean major investments on the part of the company supplying water to residents here.
Aside from Tagbilaran City, BWUI also supplies drinking water to a portion of Baclayon and Dauis towns.
The utility firm is also eyeing to serve Panglao.
Damalerio, who chairs the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) committees on public utilities and environment, said BWUI could not keep on drawing from its wells in Tagbilaran and Corella as it endangers saltwater intrusion.
A groundwater survey conducted by the Australian Youth Ambassador for Development (AYAD) shows that in Tagbilaran, the saltwater intrusion is now about 5 kilometers inland compared to only 1.5 kilometers a few years back.
Since 1997, Tagbilaran has drilled 16 wells and pumping stations with a drawing capacity of 13,000 cubic meters of fresh water per day.
This supply is augmented by 6 wells in Corella which draws another 10,000 cubic meters of fresh water daily.
The city's daily water consumption is at the rate of 19,000 cubic meters per day leaving only about 4,000 cubic meters for Corella, Dauis and a portion of Baclayon.
The water shortage, Damalerio said, is due to the economic boom in the city and the increased demand from business establishments and the growing population.
According to projections, the daily need for drinking water is expected to rise to 28,000 cubic meters daily within the next three years, Damalerio said.
"At this rate of ground water extraction, we would soon loose our aquifers and degrade our environment," according to Damalerio.
"This is a call for urgency," he said as he urged Bohol Water to stop over-extracting existing wells and start exploring other surface water sources such as the Abatan and Loboc rivers and the springs in Baclayon and Cortes.
According to Damalerio, three years is just a short time considering research has still to be undertaken before the actual drilling.
Likewise, construction of water treatment plants and the pipelines going to the service areas will not only take a huge amount of investment but will also take time.
During the Panglao Island Tourism Estate (PITE) meeting last Wednesday at Villa Alzhun, Gov. Erico Aumentado likewise called on public utilities to explore means of tapping ground water sources.
Aumentado has aired concerns regarding the inadequacy of power and water supply in Bohol especially with the influx of huge investments in the tourism sector. --
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Topic: Is Bohol Facing Water Crisis In The Next Three Years? (Read 1714 times)