Zambo under state of calamity due to ‘critical’ water supply
By Emmanuel D. Taghoy
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Jan. 14 (PIA) – During its maiden session Tuesday, the
city council here has declared Zamboanga City under a state of calamity after the
Zamboanga City Water District (ZCWD) sought council’s approval to affirm its
report on the receding water flow at the Pasonanca diversion dam, which is now
at a critical level.
ZCWD requested the approval of the city government per recommendation of
the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) on to declare
the city under a state of calamity in order to allow the agency to establish
contingency plans with the use of the calamity funds.
In his letter to Mayor Climaco, ZCWD General Manager Leonardo Vasquez
said other action plans have been lined up for execution during emergencies,
require the necessary funding that will be sourced from the calamity fund.
The water level at the Pasonanca diversion dam, a barometer on the state
of the city’s current water supply, stood at 74.10 meters compared to its
normal level which is 74.20 meters based from recent reports.
ZCWD has even imposed water rationing in the city effective Jan. 8 due
to the continuous decline in the water level.
The rotating water services interruption is only one of the few mitigating
measures that the water firm is undertaking to ease the effects of “one of the
worst if not the worst El Niño phenomenon
compared to that of 1997-1988,” in a press release issued by the city.
