By Nora Soriño
ILIGAN City ― “Water water everywhere but not a drop to drink.”
Ironic, this quote is. For water is the life they say.
Which is somewhat similar to this city’s situation. Touted as the “city of waterfalls” yet many people here are screaming for water. Especially that these days of pandemic, we are told to “wash your hands” along with the other protocols. So, wannabes with eyes on the 2022 elections are rising to the occasion. Even if only in talks. So, they could probably be using watery words as “joke only.” Like that of candidate DU30 then who said he will jetski …ah, we all know where he was going to jetski and plant the country’s flag.
Anyway, one particular wannabe with moist eyes to some local position here, said that “this water problem is a technical problem.'” The solution, he said is to dig underground in strategic places and then bring these waters to the respective houses that need these waters. Especially in such barangays like Dalipuga, Acmac, Sta. Elena, Sta. Filomena, Bagong Silang, and several others. (There are 44 barangays here, to note.)
Another wannabe agreed with the said analysis. But this should be taken “as a last resort,” because if you do that, added this wannabe no. 2, the waters that would pour into the faucets of these waterless homes would become “salty.” Because the waters of the sea would mix with it.
The best solution, articulated wannabe no. 2, further, which is still technical, is to build reservoirs in strategic places. He compared it to electric currents. That is, to maintain the full capacity of the electric power from its source, transformers are used. Thus, the same amount of power from the source gets into the homes even if they are far from the source.
Reservoirs do that too in the case of water.
The waters here are already right before us; we don't have to dig for them.
I couldn’t help but agree with this wannabe no. 2. That the water problem here in this city, I mean the lack of waters in several barangays here, is a technical problem. To be fair though, the then administration of then-mayor Lawrence Ll. Cruz had watered around 75% of the homes here. Although the “unwatered” homes are heard screaming for it with the “watered” homes lying silent. Because, what is there to scream for?
“These two wannabes are right,” I said to my friend Fely with much conviction in my voice when she came over to the office after the standard greetings. “That water concerns here are a technical question, so the solutions must be technical.”
“That’s only part of the answer,” said my friend with as much conviction in her tone.
“Why so?” I asked with increasing interest.
“For even with this technical knowledge in the brains of the right men, if there’s no good leader to bring those matters to fruition, these will all come to nothing!”
I couldn’t help saying “amen” to that.
E-mail: norasorino2@gmail.com
