Richli Corporation continued to expand its service coverage in the province, serving more than a thousand water consumers even amid a rough start in the firm’s initial digging and pipelaying works in the past ten months as opposition to its expansion has been filed before the National Water Resources Board {NWRB}.
Richli was welcomed by water-starved residents of Dauis, Panglao and Tagbilaran City who experienced low water pressure to no water at all from its present water provider, but the fully Boholano-owned corporation is now facing water conflict cases filed by Bohol Water Utilities Inc. (BWUI) and the Provincial Government of Bohol (PGB), its partner who has a 30 percent stake of the company.
WATER COMMITMENT
Unfazed by the legal and administrative obstacles against its entry as the first local water provider with surface water as its source, Richli has completed 65% of it’s projected water distribution plan. in line with the government’s thrust to provide potable and sustainable water to households of Dauis, Panglao and lately to Cortes and Tagbilaran City.
According to Ralph Miguel B.Lim, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Richli Corporation, “we have provided 90% of the water needs of Panglao 80% for Dauis and around 30% for Tagbilaran City.”
A total of 5000 High-Density Polyethelene (HDPE) transmission pipes with an average diameter of 10 inches have been laid in canals stretching 32 kilometers from the Malingin River located in Barangay Patrocinio, Cortes to Panglao, according to Lim.
OPEN LINE
In Tagbilaran City, 15 kilometers of these corrosive-resistant pipes are now all set for connection starting in Barangay San Isidro passing through Cabawan, Tiptip, Manga, Ubujan, and Taloto.
Ready for connection transmission lines are now lined along Carlos P. Garcia East Avenue starting from Bool to Tamblot Circumferential Road while canal digging for lines along Graham Avenue is now underway.
Given priority by Richli is the connection to the Tagbilaran City Port under the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) now experiencing an embarrassing water shortage exasperating thousands of port passengers.
Lim also told the Chronicle that portions of all 12 barangays in Dauis and 10 barangays in Panglao are now enjoying 30 pressure per square inch (PSI) potable water directly from their taps after decades of salty water from wells with groundwater gradually eroded by the salt intrusion and over-extraction.
Also, a standby 500-kilovolt ampere (KVA) generator will provide uninterrupted water supply during power interruptions and a 2,000 cubic meter water reservoir reinforced concrete tank under construction in Barangay Libertad, Baclayon augmenting two existing reservoirs in Catarman, Dauis and Tawala, Panglao, according to Lim.
Lim also told the Chronicle that starting March 11, 2020, city residents interested to buy water can avail of P39.00 per cubic meter water at Richli’s office at Benigno Aquino Avenue, Cogon, Tagbilaran City, near the old Tagbilaran City Airport.
DWINDLING SUPPLY
With daily mounting complaints of water supply problems besetting BWUI, Operations Officer Engr. Felix “Jun” C. Sonido, Jr. admitted that “we have a healthy system, but we are grappling with aging equipment and crippling power interruptions.”
BWUI is serving 17,000 Tagbilaran City water consumers with a demand of 19,500 cubic meters daily with the water supply of 22,000 cubic meters a day sourced from groundwater from the town of Corella through 25 pumping units located within the city.
With the focus on ways to provide access to safe and sustainable water through the province major rivers and springs as sources for surface water, water providers and local government units are placed on notice to adhere to intensify ways to gradually shift to untapped surface water and undertake proper water management for future supplies. (Chito M. Visarra)