BAGUIO CITY — Residents and visitors of Baguio City will have to wait longer for relief from recurring water shortages after the city’s flagship rainwater harvesting project encountered another setback.

The Buyog Rainwater Harvesting Facility will undergo another round of public bidding after the city government terminated the original contractor’s agreement due to severe project delays, or negative slippage. The contract was terminated on 15 April.

Located within the Buyog watershed covering Barangays Lower Quirino Hill and Pinget, the project is funded by a P50-million allocation from the national government through the Local Government Support Fund.

The Baguio City Engineering Office (CEO) said its Technical Working Group is conducting a pre-evaluation of the remaining works. A pre-bid conference for the unfinished portions was held on 11 June, while the opening of bids took place on 25 June.

City officials said construction was hampered by unstable soil conditions and the difficult terrain of the watershed, making the project more challenging than initially anticipated.

Only about 30 percent of the infrastructure has been completed. Despite the delays, project monitoring teams from the City Engineering Office and the Baguio Water District (BWD) found the completed structures to be satisfactory in quality.

Once operational, the facility will have the capacity to store up to 7,000 cubic meters of rainwater, helping augment the city’s water supply and ease shortages in Pinget and Quirino Hill, particularly during the dry season.

Under the project’s design, rainwater collected at the Buyog facility will be stored in holding tanks before undergoing treatment to meet the Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water. BWD officials said the facility is expected to supplement existing water sources, improve system efficiency, and support sustainable water resource management amid growing demand, climate change, and rapid urbanization.

Officials also expect the project to reduce operating costs during periods of water scarcity while serving as a flood mitigation measure by regulating stormwater runoff during heavy rains and typhoons.

The delays underscore the broader challenges confronting Baguio City’s water supply system.

For decades, the city has struggled with recurring water shortages driven by population growth, an aging distribution network, and significant water losses from leaks and unmetered connections. Efforts to develop new deep wells have also become increasingly difficult as underground aquifers continue to decline because of over-extraction.

Water shortages become more pronounced during the summer months and peak tourist season, when rationing is common in elevated communities such as Quirino Hill and Pinget.

The problem has been compounded by the gradual degradation of the city’s watersheds. The Buyog watershed, one of Baguio’s remaining forest reservations, has been affected by illegal structures, encroachment and deforestation, reducing its natural ability to retain rainwater and recharge groundwater reserves.