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About
the Area
LWUA's
Area 6 covers Regions 7 and 8, or the Central
and Eastern Visayas regions, respectively.
Region 7, otherwise known as the Central Visayas
Region, is composed of the provinces of Cebu,
Bohol, Negros Oriental and Siquijor.
Cebu is undoubtedly the most economically developed
in the region, bustling with economic activities
on a level next only to the National Capital
Region.
Region 7 is basically agricultural, with major
crop production in sugarcane, coconut, palay
and corn. Mining and quarrying are also major
economic activities in Central Visayas; in fact,
the region stands third in terms of value of
mineral production.
Gold, silver, coal, sand and gravel and limestone
are among the minerals produced. Fishing is
also a significant source of livelihood.
Region
8, meanwhile, also known as the Eastern Visayas
region, is made up of three islands comprising
the provinces of Samar, Eastern Samar, Northern
Samar, Leyte, Southern Leyte and Biliran.
Said provinces are completely surrounded by
the sea - the Pacific Ocean to the islands'
north and eastern shores, the Camotes Sea and
Bohol Sea to its western and southern boundaries.
Eastern Visayas' combined land area - 21,432
square kilometers -- is large, but is generally
rugged owing to mountain ranges and deep valleys
in the islands' center that slope down towards
the coast lines. Such characteristics in the
region's terrain limits the scope of land suitable
for cultivation of crops; still, the region
is heavily dependent on agriculture, with rice
and corn produced as staple crops, abaca and
sugar planted as cash crops, and coconut a principal
export crop.
The region's people, too, have turned to the
sea and made marine fishing a principal source
of livelihood.
Area
6 is composed of 278 cities and municipalities,
among the more popular of which are the cities
of Cebu , Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu in Cebu, Tagbilaran
in Bohol, Dumaguete in Negros Oriental, Tacloban
in Northern Leyte, Ormoc in Southern Leyte,
Catbalogan in Eastern Samar and Calbayog in
Western Samar.
Water
supply development
There are 38 operational
water districts in the area serving 62 cities
and municipalities.
Said
water districts are organized into associations:
the Central Visayas Water Information Council
or CEVWIC for Region 7, and Eastern Visayas
Water District Information Council or EVWADIC
for Region 8. These associations serve as venue
where the region's water districts assist each
other specially on technical matters, or implement
information activities such as water conservation
campaigns.
Among
the biggest water districts in the area are
those of Metro Cebu (for Central Visayas), which
serves the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu,
and the towns of Compostela, Consolacion and
Liloan; and Leyte Metro (for Eastern Visayas),
which covers the city of Tacloban and the towns
of Alangalang, Dagami, Sta. Fe, Tanauan, Tolosa
and Tabon-Tabon. Said water districts are also
the acknowledged leaders in their respective
regions.
Recipients
of LWUA Loan Assistance Program in the Area
in 2004: Bais
City, P30.219 million; Leyte Metro, P64.993
million; Sogod, P18.178 million; Catarman, P14.058
million; Naval, P23.152 million; Maasin, P29.297
million; Moalboal, P17.245 million; and Dumaguete,
P17.092 million.
LWUA
has granted a total of P2,512,876,509 regular
loans and P173,947,000 in soft loans to water
districts in the area, or a combined amount
of P2,686,823,509. Of this figure, water districts
in the area have availed of a total of P2,354,474,395.
32 as of April 2001.
The
biggest investment is in Metro Cebu, which has
utilized loans for various water system development
projects amounting to over P1.7 billion.
More
than half of the number of service connections
in Central Visayas is generated by the Metro
Cebu WD, which has 79,678 service connections.
Estimated population served by water districts
in the area is over 1 million, most of which
is in Central Visayas.
Average
collection efficiency in the area, meanwhile,
is at 84.15%. Collection efficiency reflects
the water districts' ability to collect their
consumers' billed water consumption. The area
registers a high collection efficiency of 125.87%
in Carcar WD in Cebu, and a low of 33.70 in
Basey WD, Western Samar. Metro Cebu WD registers
an 84.32 % collection efficiency. Region-wise,
higher collection efficiency registers in Central
Visayas at 88.17% while the figure in Eastern
Visayas is 80%.
Non-revenue
water (NRW), or the amount of potable water
produced but not billed due to water leaks,
theft and other factors, is at an average of
35.33% in Area 6. In Central Visayas, average
NRW is 36.66% while the average in Eastern Visayas
is 33.89%. Past figures (as of December 2000)
placed average NRW in Regions 7 and 8 at 44%
and 37%, respectively.
Water districts in Area 6 rely mainly on deepwells
for their water source. There are 151 water
district deepwells in the area, 97 of which
are operated by the Metro Cebu WD. The next
major source of water are the springs, of which
58 have been tapped in Central and Eastern Visayas.
Surface water such as rivers is also utilized
as a water source, and there are 8 such sources
operated in the area. Some water districts use
all the above types of water sources, such as
Tanjay in Negros Oriental, Catbalogan in Western
Samar, and Maasin in Southern Leyte. Maasin
is basically dependent on its spring sources
- it has 14 - and on 4 deepwells and 1 surface
source.
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