The Baguio Water District (BWD) is targeting to construct some ten deep wells in strategic parts of the city and nearby areas to ensure the steady supply of potable and safe water for its increasing number of consumers in the city.
For this year, BWD general manager Engr. Salvador M. Royeca said that the construction of the ten deep wells are already in place although some of them have already commenced last year, some being funded from the water district’s loan from the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP).
He disclosed that the minimum production of each of the deep well is 140 gallons per minute and that the cumulative production of the ten deep wells is from 3,500 to 5,000 cubic meters per day that will augment the water district’s existing capacity.
The BWD official pointed out that the construction of each of the deep well costs from PhP6 to PhP10 million which will be drawn either from internally generated income or future loans to be obtained from various financial institutions.
According to him, the presence of hundreds of illegal deep wells in the city shows that there are still available feasible areas where the water district could put up its own deep well to address the gaps in the demand of potable and safe water from the rapidly increasing population and the supply that is generated from its various sources such as deep wells, springs and the existing catchment basins built for the said purpose.
Royeca claimed that BWD was just lucky to source out funds amounting to PhP300 million earlier from the Office of the President which was used to construct the water catchment basin at the Busol watershed to help in sourcing substantial supply of water to augment the water district’s available supply during the summer months or when there will be peak demand of water following the onset of the projected drought by the middle part of this year.
He revealed that 90 percent of the water district’s supply of potable water comes from its 68 deep wells built in various parts of the city.
Royeca stipulated that the proposed construction of at least ten deep wells annually in the different parts of the city is doable considering the presence of numerous illegal deep wells that are operating and directly competing with the water district in extracting water from the city’s aquifers.
He explained that aside from the construction of more deep wells, the water district is also looking into the put up of additional rain catchment basins and for the realization of the proposed bulk water supply project in partnership with reputable water firms to guarantee stable supply of potable and safe water for the increasing number of consumers.
The operation of BWD is regulated by the Local Water utilities Administration which is the government’s regulatory agency administering and supervising the presence of water districts in various parts of the country. By Dexter A. See
