Butuan tackles water crisis on two fronts

SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur — Butuan City, the capital of Agusan del Norte, is battling a dual water crisis: the immediate threat of waterborne disease and the longer-term need to find an additional source as the city’s main water system struggles to to meet growing demand.

Butuan Mayor Lawrence Fortun directed the City Health Board on Wednesday to provide barangays with guidelines to ensure proper cleaning of water-storage containers and safe handling of rationed water to avoid illnesses.

The city government reminded residents that water distributed through the Butuan City Water District’s (BCWD) rationing program should not be used for drinking—even after filtration.

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READ: Butuan declares state of calamity as water crisis worsensThe rationed supply is intended only for washing, laundry, cleaning, and other household purposes, it said.

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BCWD earlier reported that daily water production had dropped to about 41.89 million liters from the normal 55 million liters. Around 91,425 residents were experiencing low-pressure or no-water service, prompting the city government to declare a state of calamity on Sept. 5 and expand emergency rationing and other response measures.

Safety measures

The City Health Board advised residents to keep stored water in clean, covered containers, which they need to wash regularly to prevent contamination.

For water intended for drinking, the City Health Department’s advisory recommends boiling it for five minutes and storing it in a clean container after cooling.

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READ: 11 Butuan barangays have 30 days to install emergency water systems

The board, however, stressed that boiling or filtering does not automatically make rationed water safe for consumption when the supply has been designated for domestic use only.

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Proposal

Amid the immediate public-health concerns, a local forestry and mapping specialist has proposed studying the Agusan River as a possible supplementary source for Butuan City.

Reymar Ballescas presented an AI-generated map showing a possible site for a surface-water treatment facility in the plains of Aupagan, near a bend in the Agusan River. Under the concept, river water could be diverted, treated, and distributed to nearby communities for bathing, washing, cleaning, and other household uses.

Ballescas said the proposal could help in reducing demand for the higher-quality water drawn from the Taguibo watershed. He suggested that a facility producing even half of Taguibo’s current output could serve densely populated communities near the proposed site.

He emphasized, however, that the map represented only his “spatial imagination” and was not an engineering proposal. Although he described himself as a forester, geographic information system specialist and independent consultant, he acknowledged that he had no technical expertise in designing water-treatment facilities.

READ: Butuan’s state of calamity declaration to hasten emergency response

Studies still needed

Any attempt to tap the Agusan River would require extensive hydrological, engineering, environmental, and public-health studies.

Authorities would need to assess the river’s seasonal flow, water quality, possible contamination, treatment requirements, pumping and storage needs, land availability, electricity costs and the impact on consumer rates.

Ballescas noted concerns over possible mercury and other contaminants associated with mining activities in upstream portions of the Agusan River Basin, including areas in Davao de Oro. He said such concerns highlight the need for a proper treatment system and regular water-quality monitoring.

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Publicly accessible records show that BCWD previously undertook a broader feasibility study for a water-supply development and treatment project. But available information does not identify the Agusan River as its proposed source./coa