DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Delays in repairing a ‘mechanical problem’ in the water supply of some areas in downtown Davao City have prompted a councilor to ask Davao City Water District (DCWD) officials to appear before the council to address the delay.
First district Councilor Louie John Bonguyan, head of the council’s committee on energy and water, filed a motion on Tuesday’s city council inviting the DCWD to attend next week’s session to respond to reports of poor water supply in residences and communities in the first district.
The DCWD announced last April 18 that a “mechanical problem” on its Tugbok Well 7 resulted in its temporary stop of operation.
Tugbok Well 7 is part of the two production wells of the Tugbok Sub-system serving the entire Talomo area and portions of Bago Aplaya, Bago Gallera, Ulan, and Puan. The system is operating at “reduced capacity” since April 16 when the problem was detected and is augmenting its water supply through surplus water supply from the sub-system.
Residents, however, have complained that the water supply has remained low or has not even been restored for over a week since that announcement.
As of April 25, Tugbok Well 7 is not operational as repairs are ongoing since last April 16.
Part of the contributing factor to the delay in repairs is the recurring heavy rains at night that pose a challenge to pull out the riser pipes so that technicians can reach the pumps and motors for repair.
“We have replaced several times the rigs that we have been using to address this but until now (we cannot pull it out),” said DCWD spokesperson Jovana Duhaylungsod in an interview.
As of April 26, DCWD said it has been able to pull out the old riser pipes, pumps, and motors, and is working to replace these items. They said they are committed to restoring operations of Tugbok Well 7 this week.
DCWD though has not confirmed whether they would attend the city council session.
Councilor Bonguyan said that while DCWD has committed to implementing its bulk water supply operations by June, DCWD has to explain the successive problems of water interruptions in the city in the past weeks. (davaotoday.com)
davao city, DCWD
