To Address Cebu's Water Woes FVR resurrects Cebu-Bohol link

CEBU - The water problem of Cebu is once again highlighted. This time in the 8th Asia Pacific Roundtable on Sustainable Consumption and Production (APRSCP) at the Shangri-La’s Mactan Island Resort in Lapu-Lapu City.

No less than former president Fidel V. Ramos brought the matter up as he reopened the proposal to tap the water sources in Bohol to serve Cebu’s needs.

“Cebu will have a major water shortage problem in the next three years,” said Ramos.

The former president pointed out that the growing population of Cebu would need more water to and this has to be addressed in the short term.

“[Cebu] has to learn to cooperate with Bohol and vice versa. Bohol has good sources of water because of its network of irrigation dams. But this irrigation water flows out to the sea, and that’s a waste via water treatment.” 

Fifteen yeas ago, when he was still president, Ramos worked with former Cebu Governor Lito Osmena, who was then part of his cabinet, to explore the possibility of putting up a facility that would transport water from Bohol to Cebu.

However, he pointed out that the proposed project did not materialize because both Cebu and Bohol authorities were not particularly keen on the idea owing to historical and cultural conflict.

With recent plans to build a bridge connecting Bohol and Cebu, Ramos said that this should make the water proposal feasible.

This is because the water pipes could be installed along the same right of way and there would be no need to dig to lay them.

“This is only engineering. It’s doable, and I think this a very practical solution,” Ramos said.

The former president is an honorary member of the World Commission on Water for the 21st Century.

He cited a similar facility in the country that was built a few years back at the Sierra Madre to Aurora Province to help meet the increasing water demand in Metro Manila.

In Asia, Ramos also noted the tunnels that connect Hong Kong and Macau to mainland China as prime model. “Sinasakay nila ang water pipelines sa tunnels.”

When asked if the cost might discourage Cebu to pursue this project, he said multi-sectoral groups must do something together to attract international funding institutions to support the project.

As of 2007, Metro Cebu’s total demand of water is estimated to be between 250,000 to 300,000 cubic meters a day.

The Metro Cebu Water District is only supplying 50 percent of this demand, while the rest is supplied by private deep well operators.

Prince Willem Alexander, the Crown Prince of Netherlands who is the chairman of the UN General Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation, announced yesterday that the Dutch government intends to provide direct water and sanitation to 50 million people around the world.

 On the other hand, water experts believe that there are other alternatives to solve the looming water crisis in Cebu, other than importing water from Bohol.

According to APRSCP chair Dr. Olivia Castillo, UN Secretary-General Water and Sanitation Advisory Board member, Ramos’ suggestion is a short-term solution.

“I’ve encountered water technologies that will be able to help Cebu,” she said, citing the desalination technology, rain water collection and recycling of black-water and waste water of Hilton Cebu Resort & Towers, one of the two eco-awardees named by the APRSCP.

Also, Castillo added that a Minister of Denmark told her that windmill power can help desalinate water. “I told him, it’s needed for Cebu.”

“So, we have to network the local municipalities with these technologies and work with institutions like Asian Development Bank and World Bank, so they can get the financing,” Castillo said.

International water technology solution expert Neil C. Hawkins, vice president of Dow Chemical Company, agreed with Castillo’s views, explaining that water importation may not be not be a good idea in this present time what with the availability of technology.

Hawkins also proposed desalination process as one of the effective solutions to arrest the looming water crisis in Cebu.

Water issues were among the key topics that the APRSCP International Forum which is a three-day event participated in by 250 delegates from the Asia-Pacific region.

Meanwhile, the Cebu City Rivers Management Council (CCRMC) conducted a symposium on the “Road to Sanitation: Organizing the River Mgt. Units” yesterday at the MCWD building.

Elisea Guzon, former secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said that the country is second lowest in Asia in terms of fresh water availability.

Thailand is ranked first, she said.

She cited our diminishing watersheds as one of the main reasons for such.

Extreme climate changes, decomposition of our deep well due to pollution, increasing population and the lack of effort on sewage and management have increased the demand for fresh water in our country, she said.

In order to address this, the CCRMC has adopted the Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) approach, which focuses its implementation on the barangay level.

Water sensitive workshops, consultations and other activities have been given to barangay officials to increase their awareness on IWRM.

The main objective of the approach is the effective protection and regulation for water security and ecosystem.

Among the activities being pushed in this program are clean up drives at rivers, not limited to reducing the garbage being thrown into them, but also removing the dwellings of informal settlers at the banks. — with Jelly Ann N. Narciso USJR intern/NLQ (THE FREEMAN)