Water supply in Tacloban ‘back to normal’

MANILA, Philippines (Updated) – Water supply in Tacloban City – one of the hardest-hit areas during the onslaught of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) – is now “back to normal” after the restoration of a major water treatment plant in the area. 

In a state-run Philippine News Agency report Sunday, November 17, Local Water Utilities Administration representative Byron Carbon said the water treatment plant in the town of Pastrana is now operational. 

LWUA provides water to the Leyte Metropolitan Water District, which supplies water across the province. 

In its Sunday morning update, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said water supply in Leyte is now “sufficient,” 9 days after the onslaught of Typhoon Yolanda. 

Carbon however warned residents there might be instances when the water supply would drop depending on use. 

In a separate interview over state-run DZBB radio, Communications Secretary Sonny Coloma said the Leyte water facility has been able to produce 30,000 cubic meters of water as of Sunday, and the volume is expected to increase in the coming days.

Power lines in Tacloban City have yet to be restored. The PNA report said the United Nations Children’s Fund has donated about 3,000 liters of fuel for the operation of the water facility.

Meanwhile, PNA said the Japan International Cooperation Agency is set to deploy a water treatment plant to Basey in Samar, where the water facility was destroyed during the typhoon.

Typhoon Yolanda, considered the deadliest storm in recent Philippine history, claimed the lives of more than 3,000 people and left behind more than P10 billion worth of damage. 

The catastrophe has sparked massive relief efforts both in the country and abroad. – Angela Casauay/Rappler.com