ITOGON, Benguet – The municipal government is awaiting the results of the feasibility undertaken by a Manila-based water company in relation to the proposed put up of a water district covering several barangays in the locality.
Mayor Bernard S. Waclin said that the said company is expected to submit the results of the feasibility study by June this year that will serve as a basis for the local government to decide on whether or not to pursue the put up of the water district that will provide adequate water supply to the residents of barangays Tuding, Ucab, Virac and Ampucao initially.
He claimed that the proponents were able to identify potential sources of potable water supply that could be developed and tapped to provide the water requirements of the residents in the said barangays that is why the feasibility study is being undertaken to be able to establish the needed baseline data that will justify the proposed establishment of the water district.
The local chief executive revealed that the feasibility study is being undertaken by the company in support to the local government’s initiative to maximize the potentials of existing water sources to provide the requirements of potable water of the residents which is the utmost priority before possibly selling the excess water supply that will be produced by the identified water sources.
Earlier, proponents of the bulk water supply for Baguio City had been eying potential water sources inside the municipality as their possible source of potable water that will provide the daily water requirements of the city.
However, Mayor Waclin argued that water sources in the municipality should first be tapped to provide the water requirements of the residents in the different barangays and whatever will be the excess production will be sold to other areas through reasonable pricing schemes.
According to him, there are already available water sources that had been identified by the water company and that said sources are capable of producing more than enough supply of potable water that will be distributed to the households and ensure sustainable water supply in the locality.
Mayor Waclin expressed hope that the ongoing feasibility study will yield positive results once it will be submitted to the local government for consideration so that appropriate measures could be undertaken to facilitate the establishment of the proposed water district that will guarantee abundant water supply for the people in the identified barangays.
For the other barangays, the mayor explained that the said places have their existing sources of potable water supply that is why they will not be initially part of the water district that will be organized although there will still be a possibility that the same will be included in the coverage of the water district to ensure the equitable distribution of water to the households in the town’s barangays.
He underscored the importance of the municipality having a sustainable source of potable water so that the water requirements of the growing population could be immediately addressed without compromising the ability of existing sources to provide the increase in the demand for potable water in the locality in the future. By Dexter A. See
