Bureaucratic delays have hampered the implementation of desalination projects by the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) says chairman Lawyer Jose Daluz III.

Daluz told DAILY TRIBUNE that slow permit issuance and numerous delays are caused by bureaucracy in the local government. While he acknowledged that the local government might have good intentions, bureaucracy remained the primary issue.

“Our Desalination plant in Mambaling was supposedly or to be operational last year but it was not given a permit in Cebu City. It was only given last December so the start of construction started in January which delayed its completion further,” Daluz cited.

In January 2023, MCWD announced that an additional 20,000 cubic meters of desalinated water per day would be supplied by Pilipinas Water Resources Inc.(PWRI).

The 10,000 cubic meters would come from their Mambaling plant in Cebu City, while the remaining 10,000 cubic meters would originate from their facility in Opao, Mandaue City.

Once fully operational, the Mambaling desalination plant alone can benefit around 30,000 households.

Daluz narrated that the permit requests to  City Hall were made as early as April 2023, but actual work commenced only earlier this year. 

He exemplified the recent approval for pipe-laying activities by the City Hall which was submitted in April 2023.

“We will just have to extend not because the supplier did not comply... the facility in Mambaling is there. It’s just the bureaucracy of the government,” Daluz stressed.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has officially declared a state of water crisis, in which he acknowledged the worsening of the situation brought by the soaring heat index.