DCWD says Davao City water supply adequate despite El Niño, warns of low pressure

The Davao City Water District (DCWD) says Davao City has enough water to get through the worsening El Niño. It warned, however, that households may face lower water pressure and temporary service interruptions as dry conditions put pressure on supply, according to SunStar.

DCWD spokesperson Jovana Cresta Duhaylungsod said the utility is preparing to run under "extraordinary conditions" rather than normal operations. She spoke at the Habi at Kape business forum at Ayala Abreeza Mall on Nov. 4. She acknowledged there would be inconveniences but said the district "will really exert our best efforts to provide water within the 24-hour time frame."

At the forum, the DCWD reported about 688,000 cubic meters of available water. Of this, 300,000 cubic meters is surface water from bulk supplier Apo Agua Infrastructura Inc. and 388,000 cubic meters comes from groundwater. The district needs about 381,000 cubic meters a day for its roughly 280,000 service connections. It puts its reserve at about 301,000 cubic meters, mostly groundwater, because it prioritises distributing surface water.

Duhaylungsod said surface water is watched most closely because prolonged heat and evaporation make it more vulnerable to El Niño. Groundwater sources lie about 150 to 200 meters underground and are better shielded from extreme heat. She said the district has not seen significant adverse effects on its groundwater so far.

The district's contingency plan depends on how much Apo Agua can deliver. If deliveries stay near 300,000 cubic meters a day, normal operations can continue. If they drop to about 150,000 cubic meters, some areas could see reduced pressure or temporary disruptions. Duhaylungsod said this would not immediately mean rationing or prolonged outages.

The worst case is a complete stop in surface water deliveries, which the DCWD classifies as Level 7 in its contingency plan. Even then, the district said its groundwater reserves could help meet the city's daily needs. Duhaylungsod cautioned that consumers should not expect the same uninterrupted, 24-hour service under that scenario.

She added that interruptions remain part of the district's contingency measures, but they are expected to be shorter than in previous years.