Scarce water supply remains despite rains

CEBU, Philippines - The heavy rains experienced in Metro Cebu did not help Metro Cebu Water District to recover and increase its water production.

Charmaine Rodriguez-Kara, MCWD spokesperson, said the water district’s production remains decreasing.

“Wala pa gyud, wala pa ta’y nakitang difference despite sa pag-uwan in the past few days,” she said.

Kara said the average water production as of this month is 190,000 cubic meters daily and it keeps on decreasing. She admitted that they are still receiving complaints from their consumers about longer hours of water service disruption compared to the previous weeks.

“Yes, wala pa kay gamay paman to nga uwan unless moingon ang PAGASA nga normal na ang rainfall volume wala gyud na siyay effect even if niuwan in the past few days wala man niuwan for the rest of May,” she explained.

Kara said it may have to take until the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration to declare the onset of rainy season before the water supply will be normalized.

PAGASA confirmed that the total amount of rainfall during the four consecutive days of rains was not enough to increase the water level in dams and to replenish the aquifer.

The incessant rains, however, was enough to cause floods and landslides.

“Risky ang pag ulan-ulan labi nag heavy rainfall ug kanang thunderstorms mag mugna mana ug baha, but in terms of ground level, wala pa tay delikado nga muapaw na,” said PAGASA-Mactan chief Engineer Alfredo Quiblat Jr.

Quiblat said the El Niño has weakened the water supply of the whole province of Cebu. He said an estimated 105 millimeters of rainfall decreased during the phenomenon.

“Nagkinahanglan paman ta ug daghan tubig kay adtong niaging Marso ug Abril below normal man ta, dako man kaayo ta’g kulang ato 95 percent ang nawala nga ulan. Also nanginahanglan pa gyud gani ta ug lain ulan para maka bawi ta sa atong ground level,” Quiblat said.

Although there was an increase in the water level brought about by the rains in the past four days, Quiblat said there is still a need of about 80 millimeters of rainfall for sufficiency.

As of today, the water level is now at 125 millimeters or 95 percent higher than the 5.1 millimeters before the rains.

Getting ready for La Niña

Meanwhile, Cebu City acting Mayor Margot Osmeña has directed the local disaster council to start preparing for floods by identifying high risk areas.

“First of all they have to be aware of the weather condition not only for today but for the coming days,” she said.

Osmeña said some barangays have started preparing evacuation centers for possible floods and landslides victims.

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office has also started alerting the various local government units in the province, including the barangays, to possible preemptive evacuation of residents in flood and landslide-prone areas.

"We advise preemptive evacuation while we still have time, and we expect there will be a confluence of events — a high tide, heavy rainfall in the mountains, the possibility of a storm surge and strong winds," said Julius Regner, spokesperson of the Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.

He said LGUs and residents must be ready for the impact of La Niña, a phenomenon which could lead to significant loss of life and property.

The Cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu have also started preparing for the rainy season.

Andy Berame, head of the Lapu-Lapu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said the city is ready for La Niña.

"Ready na ta. Naa na tay mga giandam nga pasuyop sa tubig ug mga tawo nga motabang in case. Gisugdan na sad nato ang atong mga ka-barangayan sa pagtrain para sa disaster preparedness and response," said Berame

Mandaue City disaster officer Felix Suico claimed they are 100% ready. He said dredging, proper information dissemination, and  making sure that they are equip with all the needed rescue equipment were among the city’s preparations.

Under watch

At least 11 towns and two cities have been placed under La Niña watch. These are the cities of Carcar and Talisay; the southern towns of Argao, Sibonga, Ronda, Dumanjug, Alegria, Alcantara, Moalboal, Badian, Malabuyoc; northern town of Daanbantayan; and Balamban in the midwest part of Cebu.

The disaster office is anticipating that these areas would likely be affected by the looming “strong” La Niña phenomenon based on previous accounts when Cebu was hit by typhoons like Senyang in 2014 and super typhoon Yolanda in 2013.

Regner said residents along the coastline and danger zones should evacuate to safer grounds and must not wait for possible storm surge to wipe out their houses.

In case of disaster, Capitol still has P133 million in PDRRMO funds. At least 70 percent or over P93 million could be used for disaster preparedness measures.

An average of 20 typhoons cross the Philippines each year, with the storms becoming fiercer in recent years.

More than 8,000 people died or went missing and about one million were made homeless by supertyphoon Yolanda, a category-five typhoon that struck the central Philippines in 2013, bringing five-meter-high storm surges. — Kristine B. Quintas with Oliver Julius T. Lape, Jocel L. Monares, Chelsea Murillo Malazarte, Ermida Q. Moradas and Maureen Intrampas (FREEMAN)