A consumer advocacy group warned Thursday that lagging power restoration efforts in Cebu Province could lead to an imminent water shortage, criticizing what it called an unfair disparity in recovery speed compared to Metro Cebu.

The Cebu Electricity Rights Advocates (CERA) issued an urgent call for systematic improvements in the province’s power infrastructure, citing that recurrent water service disruptions have stemmed directly from the electrical grid’s ongoing instability.

“Recurrent water service disruptions have stemmed from the ongoing instability of the electrical grid, transforming minor power outages into major utility emergencies,” said CERA convenor Nathaniel Chua.

“Recent blackouts have caused dry taps, subpar sanitation and elevated public health hazards for many households outside of the city. These circumstances are what CERA claims to be both intolerable and avoidable,” he added.

CERA analyzed that the core issue lies in the fragile link between power and water infrastructure, where the failure of power lines feeding water pumping stations can cause entire districts to lose access to clean water.

These repeated outages force local water districts to depend on limited auxiliary power, which often cannot sustain operations for long.

Chua stressed that circuits supplying water pumping stations should be treated with the same urgency as those serving hospitals.

“Without water, hygiene for consumables like food decreases and it could lead to the spreading for bacteria and diseases, spiraling into an even bigger societal issue,” Chua said.