With drought affecting Catanduanes and two other Bicol provinces for the third straight month, there are now calls on social media for local government units to start rationing potable water.
In the 20 or so barangays of the Virac población, majority are reportedly experiencing little or no water for nearly a week now despite an existing “valving” operation supposedly distributing water to different barangays served by the water district.
While the VIWAD management has launched initiatives aimed at enhancing its water distribution system, there has been no update on the status of the following projects: Rehabilitation of the Imperial Homes Subdivision Distribution Pipeline and Interconnection of the Imperial Homes Pump Station, Rehabilitation of the Community Hub Pump Station Distribution Line, Construction of the Cawayan Intake, and Completion of the New Additional Water Source at Hinagasan Falls.
In fact, the management announced last mid-July that the Hinagasan source was expected to be fully operational by the end of August 2026, with the project supposedly intended to strengthen water supply reliability and ensure continuous service to concessionaires, particularly in the downtown area.
The growing chorus of online complaints from a large portion of its 11,000 customers should spur the water district to coordinate with the local government unit as well as the Philippine Red Cross Catanduanes Chapter on how to deliver potable water to the waterless barangays.
While there is always a possibility that praying for rain would work wonders, VIWAD should consider the fact that for July and August 2026, precipitation has fallen by 35 percent and 56 percent, respectively, based on actual data from PAGASA Virac Synoptic Station.
In its report on the Climate Outlook for the next six months from September 2026 to February 2027, the PAGASA Climate Monitoring and Prediction Section stated that the ongoing El Nino reach a very strong state by the end of this year and continue until June 2027.
The same report forecasts monthly rainfall in Catanduanes for the next four months (with volume in parentheses): September – 101.5 percent or near Normal (270.8 mm); October– 60.3 percent below normal (221.1 mm); November – 55.3 percent below normal (222.5 mm); and December – 80.7 percent or near normal (409.4mm).
This could mean that some of the five or eight tropical cyclones forecast by the weather agency to form inside the PAR or cross the country’s landmass would either hit this storm-tossed island or pass close by.
The predicted volume of rainfall for September to December means there would be a greater amount of rainwater for VIWAD’s reservoir at Cawayan and its pipelines compared to the last three months, or twice the previous total.
However, despite the predicted rainfall that would lift the province out of the list of drought-affected areas this September and October, dry conditions would return by November 2026 until February 2027.
For now, local governments should convene their respective Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils and at least manage existing water resources, especially for thirsty constituents.
The situation is not exclusive to the capital town alone, as there are reports of deep wells in the neighboring municipality of San Andres either drying up or coughing up muddy water.
While there may be nothing the LGUs can do about parched farmlands, citizens are hoping that the LGUs are aware of the situation within their areas of jurisdiction and would act on their need for water based on existing contingency plans.
In the meantime, our province’s leaders should momentarily cease bickering about their plans for the economically not feasible Friendship Bridge and consider looking for funds to help water districts build water storage facilities like dams and reservoirs that could be operational by the end of 2027.
This would be a more realistic initiative than inviting profit-hungry outside investors and water supply companies that could likely result in higher water rates and bring down local water districts which operate on a non-profit basis.
The already copious amount of saliva our politicians have spent on one-upmanship ahead of the 2028 elections could have been better added to whatever precious water is dribbling out of their constituents’ faucets after midnight.