City, NWRB continues to address ‘colorum’ deepwells
For the past three months, a team from the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) has been conducting their own investigation and inspection of deepwells in the Summer Capital according to Mayor Benjamin Magalong during a press forum, Jan. 14, at City hall, on the acute gastroenteritis outbreak in the city.
The agency is mandated to coordinate and regulate all water resources development and management of the country.
The Mayor said he was informed by the NWRB that the city government does not have any authority to close a deep well even if it is found to be illegal.
However, in a recent meeting with NWRB officials, Magalong said the water agency admitted that they lack field personnel “so finally this time, we were able to convince them that they have to deputize some people from the local government.”
“Iyan ang malaking problema natin, yung mga illegal na deepwells kasi unregulated na ang mga iyan, hindi pa namin namomonitor. At hindi naman nagsusubmit iyan ng test results, iyong nagsusubmit lang ay ung mga regulated at may permits. So iyon ang mga tinututukan namin ngayon, yung mga unregulated, in short, colorum, na deepwells,” the Mayor said.
There are about 1,003 deep wells in the city but only around 173 of these facilities have been licensed to draw water.
He stressed that the local government is continuing to collaborate with the NWRB and the Baguio Water District (BWD) to address the problem of ‘colorum’ deepwells in the city.
Councilor Betty Lourdes Tabanda, chair of the city council’s committee on health, said the Mayor was right in saying that the city has no authority in the opening and operation of a deep well which is under the NWRB.
“The only thing that the city does is the NWRB requests us to post the notice of application. And more often than not, we receive the request to post after the hearing is already conducted in Metro Manila. Wala na kaming magagawa,” she claimed.
Tabanda said the city has been requesting that as part of local autonomy, an endorsement from the local government be made a requirement in the approval of deep well applications.
She disclosed that the city is in the process of reviewing its sanitation laws and may include stricter and upgraded testing protocols for private deepwell owners and water purification facilities.
City health officer Dr. Celia Flor Brillantes including epidemiologists from the City Health Services Office and the Department of Health explained that acute gastroenteritis and other diarrheal ailments are associated with contaminated water and poor food hygiene. – Gaby B. Keith
