Cebu has not been spared from this devastation. An ongoing news story for the past three months has been the water crisis all across the province. The four dams supporting the Metropolitan Cebu Water Disctrict (MCWD) supply—Jaclupan Dam (Talisay City), Buhisan Dam and Lusuran Dam (Cebu City), and the Carmen Bulk Water Supply (Carmen)—each lost a significant, if not half, of its operating capacity by late April, Rappler reports.
All this was backdropped by an internal power rift within the district that became a public spectacle. The Local Water Utilities Administration suspended General Manager Edgar Donoso and appointed an interim board headed by John Lapid, Inquirer reports. The furor reached public consciousness when Lapid was eventually denied entry into office by MCWD Chair Jose Daluz III and Donoso. Rappler reports that at the underbelly of this is a row between suspended Cebu City Mayor Mike Rama and Daluz where Rama has accused Daluz of being unprepared for El Niño and Daluz accuses Rama of conspiring to privatize MCWD.
The dispute has caused significant workplace disruption and stress among MCWD employees which, in turn, has affected the tens of thousands of households that the MCWD is supposed to serve.
MCWD Spokesperson Minerva Gerodias discloses that, in the months of the shortage, the water district’s total production has reduced by at least 60,000 cubic meters of water per day. For context, one cubic meter serves approximately one household. This then means that 60,000 households have been affected by the water crisis.
Troubled waters
Barangay Tisa resident Ivy, using an alias to protect her identity, resides among the 60,000 distressed homes. She described the past four months as “the worst.”
Halfway through February, Ivy and her family noticed that the running water cut off during the afternoons and the early hours of the morning. Given that these were times when the family was either asleep or outside, the disruption was bearable.
Then, the windows of time with running water started shortening in March. Suddenly, the water ran only in the evenings. Then, they only had water in the early hours of the morning. Eventually, water ran only in a 2-hour timeframe from 4 to 6 AM.
“Naguba jud amo sleeping schedule because we have to wait up,” Ivy says. “Sometimes, if mag all nighter ko while nag schoolwork, I’ll just wait na lang until dawn para ara na lang ko na time ma ligo so I don’t have to consume what is stored.” (Our sleeping schedule has been ruined because we have to wait up. Sometimes, if I pull an all-nighter for school, I’ll just wait until dawn to shower so I don’t have to consume what is stored.)
Ivy’s household is composed of 9 people, including an extended family and a grandparent. They have a helper in charge of stocking water for the family, but the relentless demands of the task took a toll on her physically. She had to take a one-week leave in the middle of the four months to recuperate from the restricted sleep hours.
While the whole family has been prone to sickness because of this, Ivy’s grandfather had it worst.
“We noticed na naay physical deterioration niya. Dali kaayo siya malipong, sigeg reklamo na permi high blood, kay di siya maka ligo right away. Dili siya maka freshen up,” says Ivy. (We noticed that he had physical deterioration. He gets dizzy easily, complains that he is high blood, because he can’t shower immediately. He can’t freshen up.)
Gerodias notes health and sanitation as one of the top of pressing challenges faced by residents due to the water deficit, especially in densely packed areas where sanitation is critical.
She adds that reduced water pressure and intermittent supply are most often experienced by “interior” and “elevated” areas. Both of which the MCWD classifies Barangay Tisa as.
The quantity of water was not the only problem in Cebu’s water crisis though.
“There was a time na nausab ang water quality,” Ivy says. “[For a time] I would notice na cloudy ang water na mogawas.” (There was a time the water quality changed. [For a time] I would notice the water was cloudy.)
Ivy’s household stores water for their main bathroom in 3 large tumblers. They make sure to clean these out before they refill the load for the coming day, using up any remaining water for house upkeep and light laundry.
They ensure that on each refill the water is fresh, but Ivy started noticing bumps all over her body when she used the seemingly compromised water.
“Initially, gatuo kog allergies. Timingan man sad na pollen season ‘to and ma-allergies ko. But when naligo mi somewhere else, nawala ra ang bumps. Mao to pag usab sad sa water quality, wala na jud nibalik ang bumps,” Ivy recounts. (I initially thought it was allergies. I get allergies during pollen season. But when [my family] showered somewhere else, the bumps vanished. When the water quality reverted to normal, the bumps disappeared.)
Come hell or high water
With these health and sanitation risks, Cebuanos had to take financial risks to support the new lifestyle they’ve been faced with.
“Without a consistent supply of clean water, residents often need to purchase bottled water or pay for water delivery services, which can be costly,” Gerodias says.
In Barangay Pit-os, refilling station Almighty Water saw the boom in demand during the 3-month water deficit in the barangay.
“Daghan jud [nipalit diri]. Ang uban walay agas. Ila igamit ang tubig pang luto og pang ligo,” says Libert, a worker at Almighty Water. (A lot of people bought here. Some had no running water. They used the water we gave to cook and to bathe.)
For seven years now the water refilling station has been in place, first in Mabolo and now in Pit-os. They have three workers, two tasked to refill water and the other to deliver.
As a water refilling station amid a water crisis, Almighty Water had to be strategic about its water usage. In the morning when there is running water, they stock up for the day. It takes them 1 hour to process 50 gallons of water. They use these for customers after 3 PM, when the water interruption starts. For the past few months, the shop has been closing at 6 PM instead of their usual 8 PM as the supply is usually exhausted and no water is running.
The choice to stock water for customers from 3 PM onwards isn’t just for business reasons. Almighty Water recognizes its vital role as a lifeline in the barangay, providing crucial water access amid the ongoing crisis. For some residents, they only eat, bathe, and sleep well if Almighty Water is open.
“Luoy ang uban kung dili sila kaparefill. Di jud na namo mabalibaran ang customer,” Libert says. (We feel bad for those who can’t refill their water supply. We can’t turn our backs on our customers).
Is it water under the bridge?
As summer season gives way to rainfall, the water has begun to flow once more. In the roughly four months of crisis, the people working in MCWD have put maximum effort to serve their constituents, despite the drama among higher-ups.
“Among our recent major achievements is the successful completion of the Lusaran Bulk Water Supply project, which now provides 30,000 cubic meters of water per day to the water district,” says Gerodias.
They have also commissioned a new desalination plant in Mandaue City that produces around 10,000 cubic meters of water daily. New plants have also been installed in Cebu City, Cordova, and Mambaling. The Cordova plant contributes up to 20,000 cubic meters of water while the Mambaling plant supplies 10,000 cubic meters, increasing 150% each year.
However, the demand for water is still greater than the district’s production capacity, falling short at 310,000 cubic meters against a 600,000 cubic meter demand per day.
There have also been short-term solutions on their end, mainly to make efficient use of the non-revenue water (NRW). The NRW refers to water that is produced but doesn’t reach consumers or translates to revenue for the district.
“We are prioritizing pipeline renewal and rehabilitation projects,” Gerodias says. “By investing in [these], we can mitigate leaks and improve overall system efficiency, ensuring that more water reaches those in need.”
For drought-affected areas, MCWD purchased additional volume from bulk water suppliers that source water from underground. Moreover, they have deployed water trucks and mobile siphon tasks for mountain barangays and farming communities to address their immediate water needs.
Libert from Almighty Water praises the MCWD for their efforts, given that their business kept running even during the crisis.
“Na feel ra namo ang tabang,” Libert says. “Bisag hinay ang tubig, at least naa jud. Dili parehas sa uban na wala juy agas.” (We felt their help. Even if the water was weak, at least there was water. Unlike others who didn’t.)
For Ivy, whose household receives not even a trickle of water after the 2-hour window pre-dawn, the MCWD’s efforts are not felt.
“Naa juy pagkakuwang on their part (There is something lacking on their part),” Ivy says. “It seems na walay klaro na contingency plan (As if there was no clear contingency plan). The info is always late, if we are given any info at all.”
Ivy’s village has no established homeowners association, making it worlds more difficult for them to know the status of their supply. Information then is most crucial for this household of nine. She flocked to MCWD’s social media accounts where, in the past, she trusted their prompt updates about their water situation.
They disappointed her this time.
Ivy highlights a conversation she had with some Zamboangueños who experienced a similar water crisis. There the system was apparently more organized. Announcements were quick and consistent. Residents were given appropriate time to prepare for an outage.
“Pwede ra man diay na! (It’s possible)” expressed Ivy. “Their problem started around the same time as Cebu and it ended earlier.”
She is not alone in her sentiments. Ivy goes through Facebook and Reddit posts that report on MCWD developments. The range of emotions on the comments section is vast: anger, hopelessness, betrayal, skepticism, and suspicion. The only thing in common is that many feel they have been abandoned by the district that was supposed to serve them.
Through fire and water
When talking about the future water situation in Cebu, the emotion that Ivy feels the strongest is pessimism.
“There are reports na ma worsen ra jud [ang situation]. In terms of heat index, possible daw na maabot 50 degrees ang temperature. (There are reports that the situation will worsen. In terms of heat index, we could reach 50 degrees Celsius). This could go on in the next few years,” Ivy said.
Knowing full well the irreversible impacts of climate change, MCWD is pursuing several long-term strategies to ensure a sustainable water supply for Cebu. Among these are desalination plants to lessen compromised groundwater sources, infrastructure upgrades and expansion projects to improve water distribution efficiency, and public awareness campaigns to encourage responsible water usage.
“Residents can adopt various water-saving habits such as fixing leaks, using water-efficient fixtures, reducing water usage in daily activities, and reusing water where possible,” Gerodias states. “Simple actions like turning off the tap while brushing teeth, taking shorter showers, and using a broom instead of a hose to clean driveways can collectively make a significant impact.”
Gerodias is forward-looking when she describes the biggest challenges for Cebu’s water supply in the next 10 to 20 years. Among the hurdles Cebuanos will have to face is continued population growth increasing water demand, escalating impacts of climate change which depletes and compromises water supply, maintaining and rehabilitating aging water infrastructure, and balancing economic development and environmental conservation.
But Ivy’s problem is not the future; it’s today. She expressed both joy and worry that her water has not yet turned off on the day of the interview. Joy because it could mean the water supply is regular again. Worry because she knows it is only temporary.
“When it comes to the climate crisis, I don’t see a future that is bright,” Ivy says. “In our case, we’re privileged to still have water. Sa uban, wala. (Others don’t)”
Our wastefulness—may it be in taking our water for granted or prioritizing a power row over a water-stressed population—is a “big slap in the face” according to Ivy.
She ends the interview with a question: “What will it take for us to wake up?”
