Iloilo fears flooding

CEBU, Philippines - The Iloilo City government is now apprehensive of more flooding this rainy season because almost 80 percent of the residents and establishments here are extracting water from the ground for their daily needs, as an alternative to the scarcity of water supply.

City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog said most residential and establishments were forced to extract waters from the ground due to the failure of Metro Iloilo Water District to deliver sufficient water supply to its concessionaires.

“Most of us here are sourcing water supplies from deep wells and pumps just to have water in our daily use”, he said during the Water Governance for Development Stakeholders Forum hosted by the University of the Philippines at the Capitol on Thursday.

As a result of this excessive groundwater extraction, seawater seeps into the ground, which in turn causes  the depletion of fresh water. “This is also the reason why Iloilo City is now prone to flooding,” said the mayor.

Mabilog revealed that 81 out of 180 villages in the city has no water connection for almost 36 years after the water district was placed under the control of the MIWD. The rest of the villages is without connections yet, thus suffering from scarcity of water supply.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health-Region 6 said water from 80 to 90 percent of deep wells and pumps in this city is contaminated by fecal coliform and not safe for drinking.

DOH-6 medical specialist Elvie Villalobos said deep wells and water pumps must be installed 85 meters away from septic tanks in the nearest neighborhood. She also advised the public to boil the water for 15 minutes first to ensure it is safe for drinking.

Villalobos advised the public to boil the water for 15 minutes to make sure that it is safe for drinking. (FREEMAN)