CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Barangay Balubal will finally have its own Level III water supply system before the year ends.
City Mayor Rolando “Klarex” A. Uy led city hall and barangay officials in breaking ground and laying the time capsule for the water treatment plant Wednesday, 18 January at the proposed plant site.
As City Hall’s support for the water initiative, Mayor Uy committed to provide Balubal with a Mega Health Center which would be ready to serve the growing population of the barangay which is expected to explode once the water supply system becomes operational.
The water treatment plant will supply 5 million liters daily (MLD) to Balubal and its surrounding areas. It is a joint venture between Task Force Patubig Development Corporation and LLJ Water Consortium. JE Hydro and Bio-Energy Corporation is the strategic technical partner which provided the plant design.
“The 5MLD can cater to a total of 10,000 households (HH) at 0.5 cu.m. of water per HH daily,” said Engr. Rodolfo P. Pancrudo, TFPDevCorp President & Chief Operating Officer (COO). “The Development Bank of the Philippines will finance the P250 million project.”
With raw water sourced from the nearby Agusan River, the project can also supply processed potable water to parts of Barangays Agusan and Upper Puerto, as well as Mambatangan, Mantibugao and Alae in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon.
However, once it is completed, the water treatment plant can add five more modules to further increase its output to 10MLD given the potential water consumers in Barangay Balubal alone.
“We already have 19 subdivisions under construction in Balubal with a total of 36,000 units,” said Balubal Barangay Chairman Pablo M. Bactong. “Besides that, we already have five gas stations under construction or with pending applications, and other agri-processing plants for our cassava, corn and other agricultural produce will also expand once water becomes readily available.”
Bactong said Balubal already has a population of 10,000 which is expected to expand quickly once the water treatment plant is completed.
At present, potable water to the barangay is supplied through a pipeline from the Manolo Fortich Water District but it can only serve 100 households and supply is intermittent since priority is given to Manolo Fortich residents. The barangay also has its own Level II water system but even this is woefully inadequate to serve the barangay residents daily needs.
However, once the water treatment plant is completed before the end of 2023, Pancrudo said this will not only serve the daily needs of Balubal residents but be cheaper as well.
“The cost per liter is .45 centavos, very affordable compared to bottled water which costs P20/liter,” Pancrudo said. “Furthermore, since this is a Level III water system, residents will have water supplied straight to their households 24/7.”
-30-
