Water distributor scrambles for short-term fix as Iloilo water woes rise
(Photo from the official website of Metro Pacific Iloilo Water)
ILOILO CITY — The water crisis in this city is far from over.
Water distribution company Metro Pacific Iloilo Water (MPIW) is rushing to install a modular water treatment plant within the next eight months as a temporary fix to the worsening shortage.
MPIW chief operating officer Angelo David Berba admitted that the current supply falls short of the city’s needs.
To address the matter, the company is looking for a site to install a P400-million modular treatment plant with a capacity of 5 million liters per day (MLD).
Aside from this, MPIW is also launching four total pipe replacement projects to cut down non-revenue water losses.
Permits for this purpose are being secured from the Department of Public Works and Highways and the city government.
While these short-term efforts are in place, MPIW’s bigger investment—a 66.5 MLD desalination plant—is still in progress.
However, even this won’t be enough, as Berba acknowledged it will only cover 60 percent of Iloilo’s water demand.
MPIW says the Jalaur River Multipurpose Project II (JRMP II) is the city’s long-term solution.
Once completed, the project can supply up to 80 MLD, solving Iloilo’s chronic water shortage, the water distributor said.
“That’s why we are highlighting that the long-term solution is the Jalaur (River Multipurpose Project II). We have to secure the Jalaur because it’s a big volume, 80 MLD,” Berba noted.
Mayor Jerry Treñas made it clear that Iloilo City isn’t satisfied with MPIW’s performance.
In over five years of operation, the company has only met 27 percent of the city’s water needs, a figure the mayor called “unacceptable.”
“I called a meeting with Metro Pacific Iloilo Water because I want them to fully understand that we are not happy with the current state of the water supply in Iloilo City,” Treñas said in a statement on March 17.
“While we acknowledge their investments, it is clear that they are not enough to fully address the problem,” he explained.
The mayor also compared MPIW to MORE Power, the city’s electricity distributor, pointing out that the water distributor has not shown the same urgency in solving problems to cope with Iloilo’s rapid growth.
According to Treñas, MORE Power reported a 13 percent compounded annual growth rate in the past five years, a trend that MPIW should match to keep up with the city’s expansion programs.
“An investment of almost a billion pesos is not enough. MPIW must be serious about addressing this issue,” he said.
Treñas also demanded not just new water sources but also better infrastructure.
He said MPIW must take responsibility for rehabilitating its pipelines and improving distribution efficiency.
MPIW currently supplies around 40 to 50 MLD to Iloilo City.
As the demand continues to rise, the modular treatment plant and pipe replacement projects may only serve as stopgap measures.
