THE MINDANAO Development Authority (MinDA) and the Metro Kidapawan Water District (MKWD) signed a memorandum of agreement over the weekend to jointly work on a 25-year-master plan that aims to ensure potable water for some 300,000 residents.
Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, the MinDA chairperson, said Saturday's partnership agreement would improve water supply services and ensure stable water supply for the city's water concessionaires as well as the residents of surrounding towns.
Piñol said the master plan will include the protection and preservation of water sources at the foot of Mt. Apo. It also seeks to make an accurate projection of the water needs of the city based on its population growth.
As of the 2010 census, Kidapawan City has a population of 140,195. Aside from this city, the MKWD also service concessionaires in Makilala, Matalam, and Magpet towns in the province.
Piñol said MinDA will also work on the establishment of a digital database that will give the MKWD management real-time information on the water-related issues in the city.
MinDA will also provide technical assistance in the crafting of the master plan and source funds for the implementation of water supply sustainability programs, especially environmental protection and preservation.
The MOA signing was a result of an initial meeting Piñol had with MKWD officials led by chairman Dr. Alfredo Villarico and general manager Stella Gonzales in June this year.
“The meeting was prompted by numerous complaints of insufficient water supply in a community which prides itself as a “City of Fruits and Highland Springs,” Piñol said.
In that meeting, Piñol, as the main advocate of the Mindanao Water Supply Program stressed that MKWD’s plans should have a 50-year projection to avoid a serious crisis in Kidapawan City.
Villarico, on the other hand, has expressed appreciation for MinDA’s support, citing among others the PHP500,000 assistance given to MKWD right after the series of earthquakes that hit the city and the rest of the province last year. (By Edwin Fernandez)
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