Lwua sends its team to probe Butuan water firm

By BEN SERRANO
Correspondent

BUTUAN City––The Local Water Utilities Administration (Lwua) has given investigators three months to conclude their investigation, and submit their report in connection with the complaints against the Butuan City Water District (BCWD). The order came from Lwua administrator Andres Ibarra based on the the complaint of the consumers’s group Butuan Water Rights Alliance (BWRA).

The group has asked Lwua and the Commission on Audit (COA) to look into the dealings of the BCWD, and into the state of the city’s water supply.

In February, city hall declared the city to be under a state of water crisis because of problems in the BCWD’s facilities. At that time, water rationing was resorted to.

A five-person Lwua fact-finding team, composed of mid-level Lwua executives and their staff, arrived here on Tuesday to look into the complaints. The team is composed of lawyer Roberto San Andres, Engr. Danilo de Leon, former BCWD general manager Alfredo Bayanin, Lwua officer for Mindanao operations, Maria Luz del Puerto and Jesselyn Catapang.
The team collected water samples, and declined requests for interviews.

BWRA lead convenor Dr. Potenciano Malvar said the group asked Lwua to conduct a performance audit on BCWD, inspect its facilities, and test if the city’s tap water supply is really potable or not.

Malvar complained of the scarce water supply from the BCWD and on the relatively high cost of tap water here. BWRA has also asked state auditors to look into BCWD’s finances, including the perks in the local water district, its dealings and acquisitions.