Water backup plan

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City Council has moved to protect residents from worsening water service disruptions as the Visayas grid continues to experience repeated red alerts and rotational brownouts.

The council approved a resolution authored by Councilor Harry Eran directing the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) to prepare and implement a Water-Service Continuity and Power-Outage Contingency Plan.

The measure comes amid multiple red alerts declared by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) in August and September 2026, citing forced outages of major coal-fired power plants and limited power imports from Mindanao and Luzon.

NGCP reported available capacity of 2,059 megawatts against demand of 2,305 MW, leaving a 246-MW shortfall.

As of Sept. 13, the grid was again placed under red and yellow alerts, with three large coal plants offline and more than 1,000 MW of capacity unavailable.

The power situation triggered rotational brownouts across Metro Cebu, Mactan, Bohol, Iloilo and other provinces, disrupting households and businesses.

MCWD, which operates about 147 pumps, relies heavily on electricity to run deep wells, booster pumps and treatment facilities.

The council resolution warned that power outages affecting MCWD or its bulk-water suppliers could reduce water pressure or disrupt service in entire barangays.

To address the risk, the proposed contingency plan is expected to include an updated inventory of critical infrastructure; identification of priority facilities requiring uninterrupted power; procedures for redirecting water flow; controlled use of standby generators; minimum water reserve targets; coordination with suppliers such as JE Hydro; and emergency water delivery arrangements for communities facing prolonged interruptions.

The council also urged MCWD and its suppliers to inspect and maintain standby generators, fuel reserves, electrical systems and communication equipment to ensure their readiness during outages.

Copies of the resolution will be furnished to the Office of the Mayor, the Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office and the Solid Waste Management Board for guidance and appropriate action.

Eran stressed that preparedness is vital to protecting public health and ensuring continuity of water service amid the ongoing power crisis. (CEBU NEWS)