City Council recommends calamity state for water crisis

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

The Iloilo City government plans to spend P12.54 million to combat water scarcity after the city Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) endorsed a state of calamity for the city on Wednesday, April 17.

This allocation for static water tanks represents a significant portion of the overall budget, which remains undisclosed by the city government.

According to the CDRRM Office’s estimates, the funds should suffice to buy approximately 696,900 liters of water (at P200 per liter), providing for the impacted barangays for three months, averaging 15 liters per household daily.

The forecast also accounts for potential outreach to other barangays not yet affected at the time of reporting.

Metro Pacific Iloilo Water and South Balibago Waterworks, Inc., the city’s water suppliers, have pledged to furnish additional water tanks as necessary.

CDRRMO head Donna Magno confirmed to the press via Viber that the office would implement information, education, and communication (IEC) strategies from its General Fund.

Neil Ravena, General Services Office (GSO) chief and logistics lead for the CDRRMC, reported that tanks might also serve neighboring barangays, which the city’s Climate and Disaster Risk Assessment (CDRA) did not cover.

“Based on our people on the ground, [the affected population] widens, [as well as] the severity of the situation. For example, Calaparan [village in Arevalo district], its neighboring barangays are already in the same situation,” Ravena said.

He noted that in Rima Rizal village in City Proper, adjacent Osmeña village also depends on their shallow wells.

“So, any issues in Rima Rizal could mean more severe problems for Osmeña,” he elaborated.

The Sangguniang Panglungsod must formally declare the state of calamity in a special session to officially authorize the use of the recommended budget.

CDRRM Office data presented at the CDRRMC’s special meeting showed 23,230 individuals affected, based on 1,477 shallow wells in 25 barangays.

These surveyed barangays, assessed using the CDRA tool, included eight in Jaro district, seven in City Proper, five in La Paz, three in Arevalo, and two in Mandurriao.

The current affected population is 22 percent of the total in these barangays, which is 104,335 based on the 2020 Census of Population and Housing by the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Per Memorandum Order No. 60 series of 2023 from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, a calamity state can be declared when 15 percent of the anticipated affected population is actually impacted, as determined by science-based forecasts.