BAGUIO CITY – The Baguio Water District(BWD) assures enough water supply in the city with the expected influx of visitors with the various upcoming events and the effects of El Niño.
BWD General Manager Salvador Royeca said his office has been preparing for the El Niño phenomenon with the adaptation measures to reduce its impact.
“The Baguio Water District constructed a lot of canals or ditches for our watersheds to capture the run of water especially with the less rainfall being experience here in the Cordillera and with the announcement that we are going to have an El Nino,” Royeca said during the Kapihan sa Baguio forum on Thursday.
He also bared that they have preserved the water collected at the Mount Santo Tomas catch basin which will be utilized until the Panagbenga and even up to March.
Royeca explained that the city has varying water demands especially with the expected thousands of tourists during the Panagbenga festivities, the Philippine Military Academy Foundation Day and Graduation Rites and the observance of Holy Week. The average demand is around 50,000 to 55, 000 cubic meters per day but it may increase to 100,000 cubic meters per day depending on number of people in the city.
The BWD at present has 65 pumping stations, 57 deep wells and five spring sources where it gets the supply of water rationed to residential homes, business establishments and government facilities.
Even with the assurance of enough water supplies in the city, Royeca encouraged the public to practice water conservation. He also called on the public to help in the preservation of the watersheds and other water sources which are slowly diminishing./JDP/ RMC & Lalaine Galagala- PIA UC Intern
