City mulls using seawater for fires

CEBU, Philippines — Mayor Nestor Archival is exploring the use of seawater for firefighting in Cebu City to reduce the heavy consumption of potable water, a move he believes is crucial in safeguarding the city’s limited drinking supply.

During his latest press conference, Archival pointed out the scale of water usage in current firefighting operations.

“Usa sa mga dako kayo nga gasto nato sa tubig, kaning pagkuha sa fire hydrant… Dako kaayo ni ug epekto kay especially karon, grabe ang daghan nga sunog,” he said.

He explained further that a single large tanker fire truck holds enormous amounts of drinking water.

“The moment nga maggamit ka ug tubig unya kanang mga truck nga dagko, five cubic meters na siya… So that’s 50,000 liters… Mao nay atong magamit sa usa lang ka tangke kanang dako,” Archival stressed.

He warned that continued reliance on potable water for firefighting would strain the city’s supply.

“Now, kon mo-continue ta ug dagkong sunog, sigurado g’yud nga ang supply sa MCWD… which actually ha, kaning atong gipawng sa sunog nga tubig is drinkable water,” he added.

To address this, Archival has asked the Department of Engineering to study alternatives.

“Makabantay mo, there are a lot of coastline areas… I’m asking the Department of Engineering to study a way of getting salty water gikan sa coastline nya birahon padong dinhi,” he explained.

He outlined his vision of installing tanks near coastal communities such as Pasil and Duljo-Fatima among others.

“Sa coastline area, magbutang ta ug tangke para maoy gamiton nato para sa sunog,” Archival said.

For him, the project is not just practical but essential.

“Water is very important to all, and using water which is drinkable to put out a fire is not a good idea,” he emphasized.

Globally, seawater has been used in firefighting, particularly in coastal cities and during large-scale wildfires.

In California, aircraft have scooped seawater to douse flames when freshwater supplies were limited, while naval vessels and port authorities rely on seawater systems to combat shipboard and dockside fires.

Experts caution, however, that seawater also poses some challenges as salt accelerates corrosion in pumps, hoses, and tanker trucks, requiring specialized materials and regular freshwater flushing. Runoff can also harm vegetation and soil, raising environmental concerns accordingly.

Despite these risks, engineers argue that with proper safeguards such as corrosion-resistant infrastructure, controlled runoff systems, and hybrid approaches that combine seawater for large blazes with freshwater for smaller or sensitive incidents, the method can be viable.

The proposal reflects a growing awareness of the need to balance firefighting demands with water conservation, especially as Cebu faces the twin pressures of El Niño and rising fire incidents. (CEBU NEWS)