ITOGON, Benguet – The municipal government is working on the operation of the Itogon Water District to provide adequate potable water supply to the increasing number of residents in the town’s barangays.
Mayor Victorio Palangdan reported that the put up of the water district was one of the major programs his administration inherited from former Mayor Mario Godio that is why he appointed him as the interim general manager of the aforesaid district to continue the realization of the project that will permanently solve the water problem in the different barangays of the municipality.
He said that the initial service area of the water district will be in barangays Tuding and Ucab to significantly reduce the prevailing purchasing price of a drum of water from the present P35 to only P15 per drum of potable water.
The municipal chief executive disclosed that his administration earmarked some P5 million from the town’s available resources to finally establish the local water district to provide adequate supply of potable water to the barangays.
According to him, the establishment of the water district is geared towards effectively and efficiently addressing the scarce water supply in households in the different barangays and to ensure the people benefit from the existing sources of water within the municipality’s jurisdiction.
Mayor Palangdan claimed the coverage of the water district will gradually expand until most of the residents are connected to the same.
The municipal mayor revealed that concerned government agencies will be tapped to provide the sufficient funding support to increase the areas of coverage of the district for people benefit from the water sources in the locality.
However, Palangdan admitted that many water sources in the municipality had been allegedly applied for the issuance of water rights by some companies thus the water district will locate other possible water sources in the different barangays to help increase the volume of water available for the increasing number of consumers from the places that have been included as part of initial operation.
He explained that the full operation of the water district will allow residents easier access to adequate affordable potable water supply compared to availing of the delivery of water from private water delivery companies operating in the municipality and those based in nearby Baguio city.
The put up of the Itogon Water District started during the previous administration of former Mayor Godio and for the past 9 years, the municipal government had been aggressively pursuing the realization of the same but the full operation of the district had been stalled, especially with the serious setback because of Typhoon Ompong that caused the tragic landslide at Level 070, Ucab that claimed the lives of more than a hundred individuals, and the ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
By HENT
Photo by: ARMANDO BOLISLIS