Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama yesterday declared a state of water crisis in the city due to a rise in daily heat index, which may lead to a water shortage.

“I will now declare a crisis on water. I declare a crisis now,” the mayor said.

The declaration comes after 28 mountain barangays in Cebu City have been placed under a state of calamity due to the adverse effects of El Niño.

Rama, who visited the city’s 80 barangays noticed that there are still untapped water sources in the mountains unaffected by El Niño. These areas include Bonbon, Buot, Lusaran and Tagbao.

North District City Councilor Joel Garganera authored a resolution declaring a state of calamity in Cebu City’s mountain barangays to facilitate the mobilization of resources and the implementation of critical measures to mitigate the impacts of the crisis.

He proposed a P96 million budget needed for the El Niño expenditures and other Disaster Risk Reduction and Management activities.

Garganera told DAILY TRIBUNE that the mountain barangays include Budlaan, Binaliw, Paril, Taptap, Pulangbato, Guba, Cambinocot, Pamutan, Sirao, Sapangdaku, Sudlon 1, Sudlon 2, Bonbon, Buot and Tagbao.

City Councilors Nestor Archival, Jocelyn Pesquera and Philip Zafra sought to realign the P96.94 million.

As P80 million would be used for “agricultural expenditures,” particularly seeds; fertilizers; pesticides; information, education, and communication materials and other supplies, tools, materials, and equipment; health expenditures for humans and livestock, particularly vaccine, drugs and medicine against water-borne diseases, heat-related illnesses, other supplies at P10 million; purchase of reverse osmosis water filtration system (P2.74 million); demolition/breaching tools, supplies and materials, PPEs, and equipment (P3 million); and a two-year subscription of Low Earth Orbit satellite-based internet connectivity and ICT Equipment (P1.2 million).

Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) chairman Atty. Jose Daluz III said the declaration of a water crisis is necessary.

“It is not only MCWD but most especially the city government that should work together to address this water issue crisis,” Daluz told DAILY TRIBUNE.

“Indeed there is a crisis brought about by the drought or El Niño. It is not that only the water supply for domestic use is affected but also water for irrigation purposes for food production is greatly affected in the mountain,” he stressed.

In Mandaue City, Mayor Jonas Cortes has directed the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office to use its spare fire trucks to ration water to the 27 barangays.

“There are areas in Mandaue with low to no water supply,” he told DAILY TRIBUNE.