A DESALINATION plant in Mactan and the development of the Mananga Dam as a water source will address the supply shortage in Metro Cebu, currently made worse by the prevailing dry spell, an official of the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) told the Cebu City council. MCWD General Manager Jose Eugenio B. Singson, Jr. said they are putting up a desalination plant in Mactan, expected to be operational by 2022, that will cover the island’s demand. “We are expecting to award it within the year, the construction phase (up to) two to three years,” Mr. Singson said. Mactan currently has a total demand of 80,000 cubic meters (cu.m) per day but MCWD is only able to supply 30, 000 cu.m. sourced from Carmen. Once the desalination plant is up, the Carmen supply will be diverted to other parts of Metro Cebu. For the Manganga Dam, the MCWD official said they are bidding out the P6.5 billion project after the elections. It will be undertaken through public-private partnership. He added that three contractors have already expressed interest. MCWD serves the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu, and Talisay, and the towns of Compostela, Liloan, Consolacion, and Cordova. — The Freeman

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