Water crisis grips 40K families in Bulacan

RESPONSE The city government of San Jose del Monte in Bulacan starts conducting water rationing in villages where water supply is limited. Local officials have placed the city under a state of calamity as they prepare measures to respond to the crisis. —PHOTO COURTESY OF PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE, CITY OF SAN JOSE DEL MONTE

CITY OF SAN JOSE DEL MONTE—This city in Bulacan province has been under a state of calamity since last week as more than 40,000 of its households are grappling with a water crisis.

The calamity declaration was recommended by the Local Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (LDRRMC) and approved by the city council on Feb. 25.

Mayor Florida Robes said the poor quality of water service delivery by PrimeWater has left some 47,611 households across most of the city’s 62 villages with dry taps.

Situational report

This means around 250,000 people, or about a third of the city’s population, are affected by the water crisis.

PrimeWater is the joint venture partner of San Jose del Monte Water District.

Sought for comment on the issue, Lester Santos, branch manager of PrimeWater in the city, said they are waiting for an official statement to be released by their head office.

A situational report prepared for the LDRRMC noted that households in the affected areas experience from two hours to a full day water interruption. In some villages, water only flows through the tap during the wee hours while in other areas, water is not available for weeks.

City administrator Rizaldy Mendoza told the Inquirer that residents have long complained of the poor service by PrimeWater, noting that the problem has become widespread.

Rationing

Before the calamity declaration, Mendoza said that local officials went around Tungkong Mangga, the community hardest hit by the water crisis, to assess the situation.

Given the unreliability of PrimeWater’s distribution facility, Mendoza said they would increase the rationing activities of the local government to ensure residents, especially in water-starved communities, will be provided potable water.

Currently, 13 delivery trucks are used for the water rationing rounds, nine of which are owned by the local government and four owned by private entities.

The calamity declaration will hasten the procurement of six more trucks, Mendoza said.

He lamented that despite PrimeWater’s earlier promise to improve its services, the company’s performance “has even worsened to the detriment of the residents.”

Mendoza told the Inquirer that the local water district had already terminated its joint venture contract with PrimeWater, citing several violations.

The city government, he added, had not renewed the company’s permit to operate in San Jose del Monte.

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