In April 2024, the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) wanted two desalination plants to start delivering water before July 2024 to ease shortages in Metro Cebu during the El Niño drought. The plants in Barangay Opao, Mandaue City, and Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City, had been expected by December 2023 but were delayed by permits and civil works. Acting general manager John Dx Lapid cited halted supply from Compostela, falling levels at the Buhisan and Jaclupan dams, and saltwater intrusion into groundwater.
The report showed how groundwater overuse and saltwater intrusion pushed a utility towards desalination, and how delays in permits and construction were felt directly during a drought.
Source: SunStar