In Baguio, water’s everywhere but...

BAGUIO CITY — Water all around, but not a drop to drink.

This resort city, which was battered by hurricane-force winds, deadly landslides and floods spawned by typhoon "Feria" last week, now has to contend with taps running dry.

Even as the Camp City Lagoon and other residential areas in the mountain valleys continue to be inundated, residents have started to complain about disrupted water service, which has been blamed on a damaged pipeline.

The Baguio Water District said the main pipeline in Balsigan, near the Ba-guio General Hospital, burst at the height of the typhoon and was later washed out due to massive soil erosion. Even the hospital suffered major damage when the wall of its operating room collapsed.

"Weak water pressure to no water will continue until Tuesday," read the latest advisory of the Baguio Water District.

Affected areas are Abanao, Asin, Bagumba-yan, Bonifacio street, Camp 7, Gen. Luna, Laubach, Lourdes, upper and middle Magsaysay, portions of Quirino-Magsaysay, lower P. Burgos, Quezon Hill, San Roque, Session Road, Sumulong and Valenzuela.

Heavily flooded districts have also been without water for five days now, including the entire City Camp and the Rock Quarry area, which covers three barangays.

As a result, water deli-very services and mineral water stores have been making a killing.

Delivered water costs a minimum P20 per drum, but outlets have been refusing orders of less than 10 drums.

Most households without water tanks are forced to buy tin drums or plastic containers. Stores selling containers have also taken advantage of the situation, jacking up their prices by as much as 50 percent.

Still residents prefer buying the expensive drums instead of having water tanks installed. They know full well of the danger of collapsing water tanks standing on soft and unstable soil.

Josephine Albon, a barangay captain of Tam-awan-Pinsao, was killed when a water tank collapsed and fell on her while she was rescuing a family with three kids during the typhoon.