ZCWD seeks to boost water production
The Zamboanga City Water District is looking at developing five possible sites to build high capacity water treatment plant as its top priority while lining up its projects for implementation for as soon as this year.
This was revealed by Technical Services Group Assistant General Manager Arnulfo A. Alfonso who said the district is bent on building capacity to increase water supply in the city to meet expanding demand.
Engr. Alfonso added, the sites the water utility firm is looking to develop are located at Busugan, at the Patalon-Sinubong area, Latap, close to Limpapa, Manicahan, Cahumban, near Cabo Negro in Tolosa and the Bog lake within the Calarian-San Roque zone.
Engr. Alfonso added the plan is to build treatment facilities similar to the Pasonanca Water Treatment plant, in Manicahan, Latap, Busugan and the Bog lake and a treatment facility at Cahumban.
Busugan is envisioned to get a 25-million liter per day (MLD) capacity plant, while both Manicahan and Latap could host 50-MLD capacity treatment plants, while the Bog Lake area is suited for a 20-MLD plant while Cahumban, a high yield streamflow could host a treatment facility similar to the one in Dumalon, Engr. Alfonso added .
The combined rated capacity the five facilities will bring into the system is 146.56 MLD, almost doubling the current capacity of all the district’s facilities, which stands at 161-MLD.
The recent ‘El Niño’ phenomenon that hit the city has forced the district to impose a rotational water rationing scheme as water levels from all sources plunged to critical levels, hampering water delivery to consumers from several months since late last year.
The weather Bureau, Engr. Alfonso added is forecasting more frequent occurrence of the drought in the years ahead highlighting the urgency of ZCWD to bolster production capacity to meet shortfalls during summertime and drought periods.
Engr. Alfonso in a recent interview also debunked claims the district was not entertaining project proposals from parties who expressed interest in pouring investments in the local water utility firm.
Truth be told, Engr. Alfonso added all project proposals are coursed through a review committee to assess viability for consideration.
In fact, big companies both from here and abroad have submitted project proposals to ZCWD currently undergoing review.
Such companies are viable source of funding which the district badly needs at this time, which is of much interest to ZCWD.
The district he added is also currently talking to lending and funding institutions for soft loans to use in financing its projects in the pipeline.
He reminded the public ZCWD does not get financial assistance from either the local government or any national government agency to fund its operations and infrastructure program.
It subsides on monthly water payments of customers and from other related services it offers such as sewer and sewage services.
Other than capacity building, Alfonso added ZCWD is also very much involved in other projects seeking to expand its sewer and sewerage services.
It is involved in the multi-million Z3R rehab program currently underway in the barangays of Rio Hondo, Sta. Barbara, Kasanyangan, Sta. Catalina and Mariki, Tulungatung and the city’s Zone IV.
This is aside from the proposed expansion of the district’s own sewer and sewage plant capacity at Magay.
The pipeline replacement program of the district enters its 5th stage aimed at improving efficiency in its distribution network.
The plan to build the water impounding dam gained traction as the project is currently in the Feasibility study phase after the Pre-Feasibility Study was recently completed.
It has been elevated by Regional Development Council to NEDA as high priority project for possible foreign funding.
The Water impounding dam will cost billions of pesos to build, way out of the capacity of the district to fund, Engr. Alfonso stressed.
He also added the district is working closely with city hall exploring possibilities of tie-ups in pushing for projects in the city’s barangays relative to water source development.
Engr. Alfonso expressed gratitude to city Mayor Beng Climaco for offering assistance to the district in working out its priority projects.
Mayor Climaco in her inaugural address earlier this month, expressed her desire to see how City Hall can help ZCWD in building resiliency during calamities and improve water delivery to the people.
Meanwhile, Engr. Alfonso said the district is enlisting support of the public in its effort to improve water delivery to the city residents now and the years to come.
It is everyone’s responsibility to contribute in the effort of ZCWD to provide safe potable and affordable water to all households 24 hours a day seven days a week, Engr. Alfonso added.