Families, businesses, and water consumers across Metro Cebu continue to endure severe water shortages as the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) works to normalize services weeks after initial disruptions. The utility has yet to achieve 85 percent water supply restoration, with power supply interruptions significantly hampering recovery operations.
Power Grid Reliability Exposes Infrastructure Vulnerabilities
Nathaniel Chua, Convenor of Cebu Electricity Rights Advocates (CERA), emphasized that the current 85 percent reliability rate remains insufficient for communities striving to maintain hygiene and recover from the ongoing crisis. He noted that MCWD's frequent "Yellow Alert" status even before recent flooding events indicated critically low reserve capacity, which worsened the situation when pumping stations sustained damage.
The recovery process has revealed stark disparities in power restoration across different service providers. While Visayan Electric Company (VECO) quickly restored electricity lines throughout Metro Cebu, areas serviced by Cebu Electric Cooperatives (CEBECOS) and Mactan Electric Company (MECO) continue to experience slow and unreliable progress.
Critical Health and Economic Consequences
The unstable connection between the regional grid and essential water pumping facilities continues to threaten water security throughout the region. "There remains significant concern that even after several weeks, thousands of Cebu households remain without water and face sanitation risks because power lines supplying critical pumping stations have not been reconnected," Chua explained.
The prolonged service restoration highlights major infrastructure deficiencies and underscores the urgent need to strengthen water systems, particularly in remote areas.
The lack of reliable utilities has exacerbated difficulties for poor and vulnerable sectors as the Visayas grid maintains its Yellow Alert status. The service disruption has resulted in serious health risks, lost work days, and income loss for workers and low-income families.
Micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and small businesses have been forced to either suspend operations or overspend on backup systems, while farmers report decreased crop yields due to damaged irrigation systems. Even middle-class households face substantial additional expenses for fuel and water purchases just to maintain basic daily living standards.
Urgent Need for Infrastructure Reinforcement
Collectively, these burdens present significant obstacles to regional recovery and highlight the immediate necessity for more reliable and resilient power-water infrastructure systems in Metro Cebu. The ongoing crisis demonstrates how interconnected utility systems require comprehensive reinforcement to withstand future challenges and ensure consistent service delivery to all communities.
The situation continues to develop as authorities work toward complete service restoration.
