The depletion of groundwater within the district served by the Metro Naga Water District (MNWD) will turn from bad to worse should nothing be done to recharge the groundwater potential within the district. It is feared that by year 2010 — three years from today — there would not be enough water to supply the domestic, commercial and industrial needs of Naga City and the towns within the service area of the MNWD.
To be given credit for making public “this writing on the wall” are Care Philippines, World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) whose study on and assessment of the hydrological services from Yabo and Inarihan Catchments, which provide water recharge for Naga City and the neighboring towns, reveals that we, indeed, have much to worry about and that no amount of digging wells by the MNWD can ever solve water depletion in the district.
For the past years we have been made to believe that the shortage of water within the water district was due to the malfunction of several pumping stations or that there are not enough wells to meet the needs of the consumers.
MNWD was organized in 1979 for the City of Naga and the municipalities of Gainza, Camaligan, Canaman and Magarao. But asked for groundwater data such as static water level and discharge of pump wells since 1979, it only came up with its annual production, well discharge and capacity, total number of service connections for the years 2005 and 2006. It also came up with the total population serviced in 1995 which was 251,909 which is estimated to expand to 455,806 by 2030 and with the number of service connections from 9,423 in 1995 to 27,085 in 2006, or an annual growth of 11 percent.
It also has kept count of 14 wells, 11 of which show a general increase in depth of static water level that ranges from 0.11 meter to 2.5 meters. One well, however, well No. 9 had an initial static water level of 6.74 meters in 1993 which increased to a depth of 33.23 meters in 2005. Another, well No. 21, had a water level of 2.00 meters in 2000 which increased to 8.00 in 2004. Still another, well No. 18, from 14.00 meters in 2000 to 24.00 meters in 2005. The increases in static water level are indicators of a decline or a depletion of groundwater. Yet we have not heard anything about groundwater depletion from the MNWD. What he heard was its decision to increase water rate of our monthly bills. Does the MNWD really know how to read water data? Or simply water bills?
The MNWD has within its databank the history of groundwater discharges from its 14 wells: in 1990, well No. 22 had a discharge of 2,084 cubic meters of water per day, now it has only 312; in 1993, well No. 9 had a discharge of 2,290, now 610; well No. 19 had 2,134, now 197; well No. 20 had 2,592, now 1,424. In 2005, new wells No. 11, had 2,032, now 1,218; Well No. 13 had 4,974, now 2,807; Well No.14 had 3,130, now 2,173. If MNWD knows how to read such data, which is expected of the agency since its business is water, then we should have been forewarned of the depletion in our groundwater way back in 2000, or even in the second half of the 1990’s. Yet we have not heard of any warning about groundwater depletion from the MNWD.
How responsible or irresponsible is the MNWD as the major franchiser of our groundwater resources? Are we, consumers, just fattening the coffers of this exploiter of our groundwater resources? And to think that the MNWD has the nerve to ask for an increase in water rate with not much of a plan on how to increase the volume of our groundwater potential makes us puke!
