DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/14 March)– The city government has compelled the Davao City Water District (DCWD) to ensure that its services will not be interrupted even when there is a power outage.
This after the city council this week supported Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte’s call for the water district to purchase generator sets to prevent water service interruptions due to the rotating brownouts.
In a privilege speech, energy committee chair Louie John Bonguyan said that the rotating brownouts brought about by Mindanao’s insufficient power supply have affected not only the electricity service of the Davao Light and Power Company (DLPC) but also the water service of the DCWD.
Bonguyan noted the city council was concerned on the effects of the utility interruptions to the city.
“You can only imagine the effect of having no water for hours. It [power and water disruptions] could lead to a collapse of the economy,” Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang said in an interview.
Dayanghirang said the water utility should heed Duterte’s request to get a generator set to reduce water service interruptions.
Duterte earlier told the DCWD that the city government would provide assistance if the utility would need help in purchasing a standby generator.
“The water district should take seriously the words of the mayor,” Dayanghirang said.
In a statement dated March 2, 2014, DCWD apologized for the emergency water service interruptions that occurred last February 27.
The utility said this was due to the Mindanao-wide emergency power outage, adding it requires time to reswitch its wells and build up pressure.
DLPC, meanwhile, has posted brownout schedules for the different feeder groups in the city. They can be found on the utility’s website www.davaolight.com and Facebook page www.facebook.com/DavaoLightAndPowerCompanyofficial. (MindaNews)