CALAMBA CITY, Laguna — As extreme summer heat is set to affect the country and fuel prices remain surging, the Calamba Water District (CWD) calls on the public to conserve water to maintain sufficient supply for all its customers.
CWD General Manager Exequiel Aguilar said their agency is ready to sustain water supply in Calamba City amid the usual summer heat, but warned that fuel price hikes could pose some impact on their day-to-day operations.
“Syempre maapektuhan po kami dyan, number 1, fuel prices, electricity. So kami po, ang Calamba Water District, ang amin pong water rate ay 15 years ago na so hindi pa po ‘yan nagtataas kaya po sigurado kami na ‘yun po ang number 1 na maapektuhan,” Aguilar said.
This is due to CWD’s operations, which rely on fuel for daily activities, particularly in pumping and distributing water through fuel-powered systems, he added.
However, unlike electricity, which often sees rate increases during peak summer months, water utilities cannot immediately pass these costs on to consumers, as any rate adjustment requires regulatory approval.
“Dahil po sa mahal ng gasolina, ng kuryente, sigurado po kami ay mag-a-apply na din sa LWUA ng water rate increase kaya naman po ay pinaghandaan na din namin. Ang unang-una pong ginawa namin para sa kaalaman ng lahat ay ‘yun pong pagtitipid sa tubig nung atin pong mga tao, ng ating mga Calambeño, nakikiusap po kami na tayo po ay magsama-sama para tayo po ay magtipid ng tubig,” he said.
Aguilar emphasized that water conservation is crucial, especially during these challenging times when extreme heat and ongoing crises affect essential services, particularly the reliable water supply that is vital to human life and health.
Meanwhile, despite government energy conservation measures and implementation of the four-day workweek, CWD operations will remain unaffected as proper planning has already been put in place.
Aguilar added, “Wala pong epekto, sigurado kami sa atin pong operasyon ng tubig, ang suplay ng tubig ay hindi po maaapektuhan nitong four-day compressed work week dahil opisina lang po namin ang maapektuhan niyan. Pero we are sure na talaga naman pong ang aming serbisyo especially po sa aming customer service at saka ‘yung aming billing collection, ‘yun po ang napaka-importante para po tuloy-tuloy po ang buhay ng Calamba Water District.”
CWD warned that water rationing could be enforced if the crisis persists, a scenario it aims to prevent as it would pose challenges for both concessionaires and the agency in ensuring water supply. As such, it continues to call on the public to practice water conservation as a shared responsibility in managing the resource.
