Equipment breakdown, heavy rains kill Oct 16 deadline
More sad news from harried water consumers in the Cagayan de Oro City Water District’s West Service Area.
Screen grab from video posted in Rio Verde Water Consortium Inc. Facebook Page
Bulk water supplier Rio Verde Water Consortium, Inc. informed the COWD Engineering Division early Tuesday morning (Oct 17) that repair and rehabilitation works of its main 650mm underwater pipeline across the Cagayan River would be further delayed for another week as a result of heavy rains over the weekend.
In a text message to Kag. Teodulfo Lao, Jr., chairman of the SP Committee on Public Utilities and Engr. Edward Tesoro, head of COWD’s Production Department (copy of which was provided to media), Rio Verde Vice President Joffrey E. Hapitan said the bulk water supplier could only continue to deliver 40,000 cubic meters per day (m3/day) or 40 million liters per day (MLF) through its back-up HDPE pipe.
Screen grab of Rio Verde video showing work site before and after the heavy rains over the weekend.
Previous to the earthquakes and river debris which damaged Rio Verde’s main pipeline to COWD, it was already delivering 60,000 m3/day or 60 MLD which COWD was distributing to its West Service Area due to increased consumer demand.
“Further, please be informed that the above mode of water supply by Rio Verde to COWD will continue for another week because our River Diversion Earth Works for the Underwater Pipe crossing Cagayan River has been affected by the heavy rain where a huge portion of the filling material and earth works were damaged by the rampaging waters,” Hapitan said.
“Since Oct 7 up to now, Rio Verde has been delivering 40,000 m3/day to the COWD Take-Off Point (TOP) at Pueblo de Oro area using our spare HDPE pipe, powered by a 650kW booster pump having a discharge pressure of 185 (lbs./square inch) psi at Rio Verde side,” Hapitan explained in his text message.
A backhoe works on the cofferdam on the Cagayan River on Saturday, 14 Oct 2017 which will enable Rio Verde engineers to fix the underwater pipeline damaged by quakes and river debris
“The residual pressure at COWD TOP is zero psi, but since the elevation at the point of delivery is also 150 meters, which is equivalent to 220 psi, water will flow by gravity to most of COWD West Service Areas,” he added.
He further encouraged COWD to activate its own booster pumps to be able to service its customers in the West Service Area.
However, COWD Production Dept. Head Engr. Edward Tesoro said it’s not possible for COWD to utilize its booster pumps to bring water to elevated areas like Lumbia since their booster pumps need at least 55psi at the TOP to be able to operate properly.
“COWD has continuously operated its Balulang booster pumping station which helped sustain adequate flow in many areas in the West side,” said COWD General Manager Rachel M. Beja. “However, the in-line boosting facility at TOP cannot be commissioned unless Rio Verde provides at least 55 psi at TOP.”
Photo of the same site a day later following heavy rains shows the flash floods which make further repair on the pipeline impossible.
“This COWD’s in-line booster facility is supposed to push water up to Lumbia area when Rio Verde’s residual pressure at TOP drops below 70 psi but not lesser than 55 psi. Since Rio Verde’s operation of their booster pump through their HDPE pipe, pressure at TOP has been negative,” she explained.
“A negative pressure at the TOP a poses big challenge in pushing water at adequate pressure up to COWD’s two elevated reservoirs in Bulua and Carmen, resulting to inadequate flow in farthest areas like Opol and other elevated portions of the service area,” Beja explained further. “The flows to these areas are largely dependent on the level of water that can be maintained at the two reservoirs.”
“Thus, COWD’s requirements for Rio Verde are both flow and pressure at the same time,” she noted. “We are only hoping that repair works at Rio Verde can be completed very soon.”
Earlier Saturday afternoon, Hapitan informed Lao and Tesoro in another text message (copy furnished to media) that the expected completion date of repairs for its underwater pipe would have to be moved two days to Wednesday, October 18 instead of Sunday, 15 October, due to the breakdown of their rented bulldozer at the work site.
“Please be informed that the completion of the repair of Rio Verde underwater pipe will be delayed by 2 days because the bulldozer unit that we rented from Metalite Builders Development Co.Inc, (c/o Arnel Dumalaog) broke down yesterday (Oct 13/Fri) at 10:00AM until today. Metalite was not able to mobilize an immediate replacement. Repair of the bulldozer unit will take 2 days,” Hapitan said. “Therefore, the resumption of normal pressure at COWD TOP is estimated to happen in the afternoon of October 18 (Wed) instead of Oct. 16 (Mon).”
In an update Tuesday, Hapitan said additional backhoe units have been mobilized in lieu of the bulldozer which had been pulled out since Medialite was unable to provide a replacement.
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.
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 trucks 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.
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.