MCWD General Manager Edgar Donoso said on Monday, Dec. 26, that around 2,000 subscribers are expected to benefit from the bulk water supply.
The two barangays had long had water connections, but they did not have enough water supply due to the many subscribers in the area that the MCWD had to accommodate.
Last Nov. 25, Donoso said they also supplied water to the residents of Barangay Busay also from the same source in Barangay Lusaran.
“Kani nga mga area, if you notice, mao ni ang mga uhaw. Mao ni ang barangays nga for so many years wala gyud silay tubig. As we open the gate bulb para pagdistribute sa tubig, atong hinumdoman that another milestone sa MCWD ug nindot kaayo nga Christmas presents sa atong katawhan,” Donoso said.
(These areas, if you notice, are the thirsty ones. These are the barangays, which for so many years, had no water at all. As we open the gate bulb to distribute water, let’s remember this is another milestone of MCWD and our best Christmas presents to the people.)
Engineer Joffrey Hapitan, chairman and chief executive officer of JE Hydro, said drinking water will reach the homes of Pit-os and Bacayan from its water treatment facility in Barangay Lusaran on Tuesday, Dec. 27.
“Ongoing karon (Dec. 26) ang pag-connect gyud sa main transmission line sa water district. By tomorrow (Dec. 27), dili pa mahuman ang alas 5 sa hapon, mosulod na gyud ang tubig officially sa mga households,” Hapitan said.
(Connection to the main transmission line of the water district is ongoing today. Before 5 p.m. tomorrow, water will already officially flow into the households.)
Jose Daluz III, chairman of the board of directors of MCWD, said the five to 10 million liters per day (MLD) of water will serve as their Christmas gift for the people in the two barangays who have previously suffered from water scarcity.
“The way of water has no beginning and no end. Water connects all things, life to death, darkness to light. Today, the way of water connects to Barangay Pit-os from Barangay Lusaran. Merry Christmas to all,” Daluz said.
Pit-os Barangay Captain Nilo Tariman said they would no longer fetch water from other sources, which they had been doing for a long time.
Donoso announced that they will start installing water lines for the thousands of residents in Barangays Lusaran, Cambinocot, and parts of Paril, Agsungot and Binaliw in the first quarter of 2023.
Aside from households, small entrepreneurs who have suffered from inadequate water supply for many decades would also benefit from the increased water supply.
Daluz said the Lusaran watershed is the second source of water of MCWD in Cebu City after the Buhisan dam that was built 111 years ago.
MCWD serves the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, Talisay and Lapu-Lapu and the municipalities of Consolacion, Liloan, Compostela and Cordova. (PAC, TPT)