The Sangguniang Panlungsod is ready to endorse investors who could help address the water shortage in Iloilo City.

“By all means, we will endorse. What is important is that we have enough water supply,” chairperson of the council’s committee on energy and public utilities, Councilor Romel Duron said in an interview.

He said he would not hesitate to pass a resolution or endorsement should there be interested investors, although the franchise emanates from the National Water Resources Board.

Iloilo City is at the receiving end among the franchise areas of the Metro Pacific Iloilo Water (MPIW), which also supplies water to seven other municipalities in Iloilo province.

The franchise area of another distribution utility, the South Balibago Waterworks, only covers 18 barangays in Jaro district.

“Metro Pacific started on July 2019 through an agreement with the MIWD (Metro Iloilo Water District) to supply the seven municipalities, including the city but in truth, they don’t have enough sources of water,” Duron said.

The councilor on Monday called for a meeting with the MPIW and the Metro Iloilo Bulk Water amid reports of water shortage, which has been aggravated by the onset of the summer season.

Duron was informed that the MPIW supplies more or less 40,000 households in their franchise areas.

A total of 40 million to 50 million liters per day (MLD) of its 80 MLD production are supplied to Iloilo City.

In a press statement, MPIW chief operating officer Robert Cabiles said during the dry season, the demand normally increases by 10 percent to 15 percent due to higher temperatures.

“While we continue to work and coordinate closely with our Bulk Water Suppliers on the water production level, we have already put into motion our water supply distribution and augmentation measures to help ensure that our customers will experience continuous water supply during the dry season,” Cabiles said.

South Balibago Waterworks branch manager Rodelyn J. Ngipen, in an interview on Wednesday, said they are open to expanding to other districts of Iloilo City aside from the current area that they serve.

The ongoing upgrading of their water treatment plant in Barangay Bongco, Pototan to increase their current capacity of 10 MLD to 15 MLD is expected to be completed within the year.

Balibago has almost 6,000 consumers in Jaro but it also provides water to bulk water suppliers, the Zarraga Water District, and four barangays in the municipality of Leganes.PNA