Butuan under state of water crisis

BUTUAN CITY, Philippines – A ”state of water crisis” has been declared in this city after more than a month of water shortage.

The Butuan City council approved City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Resolution 05-2015 declaring the water crisis during its special session last Monday.

Some 200,000 residents had been without water or with low water supply, after Tropical Storm Seniang reportedly damaged the facilities of the Butuan City Water District (BCWD).

The city council also approved the recommendation of Butuan City Mayor Ferdinand Amante to purchase mobile water purifiers, request the Department of Public Works and Highways to allow them to use its suction dredgers to clean BWCD’s infiltration gallery, and allow the city government to intervene in policy-making of the BCWD while the state of water crisis is in effect.

Councilors Derrick Plaza and Sergio Pascual, who voted against the resolution, said the water crisis was a result of the “neglect, callousness and inefficiency” of BCWD officials.

Plaza said Seniang only aggravated the problem when the infiltration gallery was damaged, the design of which he also questioned. He said BCWD should explain how its P1-billion loan from the Local Water Utilities Administration had been utilized.

“I am puzzled why we decide to declare the city under a state of water crisis when we haven’t heard yet from BCWD,” Pascual said.

Meanwhile, a multisectoral coalition called the Butuan Water Right Alliance will hold a protest against BCWD and a prayer rally on Feb. 7.

The group said it would also ask for a special audit of the funds, loans, institutional performance, infrastructural capabilities and financial transactions, contracts, projects and income generating activities of the water district since 1998.

The group said it would file charges against those responsible for the water crisis.