The 107-year-old Buhisan Dam provides water to Cebu City residents. The 27-meter high dam includes a distribution reservoir called Tisa Filter Plant. (MCWD photo)

Metro Cebu mayors continue to call on the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) to address the continuous low or no water supply.

A resolution sponsored by Mandaue City Councilor JImmy Lumapas urges MCWD to solve the water crisis.

Lumapas said the local government has been receiving complaints from residents of the 27 barangays in the city.

MCWD spokesperson Charmaine Rodriguez-Kara admitted to the Daily Tribune that as of June this year, the water supply of Metro Cebu has a shortage of 43,000 cubic meters daily.

“The total demand in Metro Cebu is 233,000 cubic meters daily but we only produce 190,000 cubic meters a day,” Kara said, attributing the shortage to lowered water levels and the saltwater contamination of some wells.

Kara explained that a well of MCWD’s private supplier in Consolacion was shut down due to the increased presence of chloride.

The shutdown resulted in a reduction of MCWD’s daily production by 7,000 cubic meters m per day which affected the water availability in parts of Consolacion and Mandaue City.

Mactan Rock Industries Inc. president and chief operating officer Engr. Antonio Tompar said MRII has already been ordered augment the shortage by producing additional 10,000 cubic meters daily for Mactan island (Lapu-Lapu City and Cordova) but the local government led by Mayor Junard Chan has not given yet their approval on the matter.

MRII supplies water to the cities of Cebu, Lapu-Lapu and Compostela.

Tompar said MRII, also a manufacturer of water treatment and wastewater treatment chemicals, has already installed two injection points in Barangays Punta Engaño and Marigondon in Lapu-Lapu City that will produce 5,000 cubic meters each daily.