Baguio: The Baguio Water District (BWD) is expecting to boost the city's water supply this year with four new deep wells and expanded rainwater harvesting facilities as it prepares for the anticipated effects of a strong El Ni±o. Noriel Calpito, chief of BWD's Production and Distribution Division, said Thursday that drilling is underway for four deep wells. Two are scheduled for completion in July and are expected to begin operating by October, while the remaining two are targeted for completion before year-end. "These will provide additional water supply, especially with the effects of El Ni±o expected in the last quarter of the year," Calpito said. The new wells are located in Buyog, Guisad; Montinola, Kisad; and two sites in Irisan.
According to Philippines News Agency, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration's (PAGASA) Baguio Synoptic Station earlier said a very strong El Ni±o is expected from October through January. Calpito said that as of the end of June, 38 percent of the city's 78 deep wells had recovered because of frequent isolated thunderstorms, while 32 percent recorded lower water levels and 29 percent maintained their pumping levels. Despite recent rains, production remains below last year's levels. Deep wells operated at 75 percent of capacity in April, compared with 82 percent during the same month last year. Capacity also declined to 72 percent from 83.37 percent in May and to 74 percent from 84.05 percent in June.
BWD is expecting to generate an additional 5,000 to 10,000 cubic meters of water daily once 10 deep-well projects launched in 2025 are completed. The projects will augment the district's current average daily production of 56,000 cubic meters. The district currently serves about 51,000 water connections, with average daily demand reaching 60,000 cubic meters. Calpito said BWD is also awaiting deputation from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources that would authorize the district to monitor and inspect illegal deep wells. "Our deep wells, as well as legally operating wells, are having difficulty recovering because of the possible overextraction from illegal deep wells," he said. Using Global Positioning System mapping, the city government has identified about 1,300 operating deep wells, only around 300 of which have permits.
Aside from developing new wells, BWD is filling rainwater harvesting facilities at Mount Santo Tomas and the Busol Watershed to augment supply. The district earlier said it continues to manage water distribution to ensure consumers receive a fair share of the available supply. It is also pursuing a bulk water system project to improve long-term supply reliability.
Office of Civil Defense-Cordillera Director Albert Mogol, who also chairs the Cordillera Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said public participation is essential in mitigating the effects of El Ni±o. He said the council continues to encourage households and establishments to install rainwater harvesting systems and cisterns to store rainwater. "We also ask residents to collect rainwater from their downspouts for other household uses," Mogol said. He added that some local government units have built rainwater containment facilities that serve as irrigation sources and provide water for firefighting during forest fires. "These are long-term solutions to minimize the effects of El Ni±o, particularly water shortages, and we continue to encourage such initiatives," he said.
In a separate interview, PAGASA-Baguio chief meteorologist Larry Esperanza said individual efforts to conserve water are equally important, especially during the dry season, to allow aquifers to recover. He warned that intermittent rains would not immediately restore groundwater levels. "Unti-unti may pag-uulan pero hindi kaagad tataas ang tubig dahil galing tayo sa tag-init at hanggang October lang ang inaasahan nating ulan. By November, magre-recede na naman at wala nang ulan, at iyan ang magiging problema natin. Lalalim na naman ang water table at iyan na rin ang panahon na mararanasan natin ang malaking epekto ng El Ni±o (There may be occasional rains, but groundwater levels will not recover immediately because we are coming from the dry season, and we only expect rain until October. By November, the water table will recede again as rainfall decreases, and that is when we will begin to feel the more significant effects of El Ni±o)," Esperanza said.
