The local water utility and its bulk water supplier are both working overtime to address the water shortage in Cagayan de Oro’s West Service Area.
Unfortunately, two bids to boost water pressure at the Take Off Point (TOP) in the past two days did not work out so residents in the affected areas would just have to wait until repairs are completed on Rio Verde’s main submarine transmission lines by Sunday, 15 October 2017.
Rio Verde VP Joffrey Hapitan points to the new P6-M In-line booster pump installed by the bulk water company to raise pressure at the COWD off-take point (photo supplied)
In fact, the first instance almost aggravated the situation when a team Cagayan de Oro City Water District’s (COWD) Non-Revenue Water (NRW) management team attempted to make adjustments on the magnetic valve at the TOP where bulk water supplier Rio Verde Water Consortium Inc, (RVWCI) supplies treated bulk water to the COWD West Service Area around 10:45AM Tuesday, 10 October 2017.
The measure was ostensibly meant to correct the data readout of the flow meter at the TOP which was giving an erroneous reading. However, the COWD failed to inform Rio Verde of the ongoing adjustments.
As a result, the 400mm SDR 9 back-up pipeline of Rio Verde experienced abrupt over pressure forcing the bulk water supply engineers to shut down the pipeline.
“Please be informed that in case our HDPE pipe will be damaged, we have no other recourse but to totally stop the supply to COWD,” said Engr. Joffrey E. Hapitan, Rio Verde Vice President in a text message to Tesoro, copy of which was provided to this paper.
Cepalco’s FT-03 Fire Truck (Tanker) distributes water to Lumbia residents (photo supplied)
Hapitan said Rio Verde was forced to shut down the back-up pipeline 10PM Tuesday evening after a weeping leak at the inlet side of the back-up HDPE transmission line which observed earlier following the abrupt increase in water pressure as a result of the TOP valve throttling became intolerable.
Necessary repairs on the back up line were completed 4AM of Wednesday, 11 October and water supply resumed at 5AM of the same day.
Tesoro admitted the oversight was caused by the COWD’s failure to coordinate with Rio Verde so he personally met with Hapitan on Wednesday to explain what happened and apologize for the oversight.
Thursday morning, 12 October COWD’s Production Team in coordination with the Rio Verde engineering team under Hapitan again attempted to raise pressure in the TOP by using the newly installed in-line booster pump of Rio Verde.
Lumbia residents draw water from Cepalco fire truck
Tesoro said they tried the new tack after observing that the flow meter at the TOP was giving an erroneous reading of 2,500 cubic meters per hour (m3/hour) when it was actually delivering only an average of 1,500 m3/hour.
“We attempted to adjust the flow of water from Rio Verde by manipulating the control valve in coordination their new inline pressure pump but the increased pressure caused new leaks on the back-up HDPE transmission line so we had to abandon it,” Tesoro explained.
“We will just have to complete repairs on our main 650mm diameter submarine transmission line so we can deliver any volume COWD might need at the required pressure,” Hapitan said following the failed try. “In another three days, we will be commissioning the main line and COWD can order from us as much water as they want.”
The ongoing repair of Rio Verde’s main transmission pipeline which was earlier damaged by a series of earthquakes which hit Mindanao and debris driven by flash floods along the Cagayan River as a result of torrential rains, has rendered many barangays of COWD’s West Service Area waterless for about 2 weeks now.
Cagayan de Oro Volunteer Fire Brigade members sacrificed their family day last October 8 to distribute water to PAGIBIG Citi Homes residents in Malanan, Opol, Misamis Oriental
These include Lumbia, Canitoan, Pagatpat, Upper Carmen, Patag, Bulua, Iponan and Opol. Some areas have nil to zero pressure while others have had to solely rely on water delivery for their daily needs by water tankers.
Aside from COWD’s two tankers, and another from Rio Verde, fire truck and water tankers from the Bureau of Fire Protection in Cagayan de Oro and Opol, Misamis Oriental have also been deployed for water distribution in the affected areas.
Cepalco’s FT-03 Fire Truck (Tanker) distributes water to Lumbia residents
The private sector has also pitched in with tankers and fire trucks from the Cagayan de Oro Volunteer Fire Brigade, Cepalco and Limketkai & Sons. It was learned that COWD provided the water and fuel for the tankers, and snacks for the fire fighters participating in the water distribution.
Hapitan said repairs on Rio Verde’s main transmission line are expected to be completed by Sunday, October 15and water distribution by COWD to the affected areas expected a day after.
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Disclosure: The author is a former media consultant of RVWCI but has had no relations with them for the last five years, pecuniary or otherwise.