Personnel of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) ration water in Barangay Cadoldolan, Sibalom, in this undated photo. Sibalom Water District General Manager Engr. Jonathan De Gracia said in an interview on Friday (May 8, 2026) that they will allow the Bureau of Fire Protection to draw water from their fire hydrants for rationing during the El Niño phenomenon. (Photo courtesy of BFP Sibalom)
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique –The Sibalom Water District (SWD) in the municipality of Sibalom will allow the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) to draw water from its fire hydrants for rationing during the El Niño phenomenon.
“We have been allowing the BFP to get water from our water hydrants during emergencies, including during the onset of the El Niño,” said SWD General Manager Engr. Jonathan De Gracia in an interview on Friday.
The water district has six pumping stations that generate a total of 201,500 cubic meters per month. It is sufficient to meet the 200,000 cubic meters of water demand of its 4,300 household consumers.
Meanwhile, De Gracia proposed the establishment of water impounding systems while there is still rain.
“The water impounding systems established along the rivers could catch the rainwater that only flows to the sea,” he said.
The water impounding systems need not be a permanent concrete structure, but even just piles of stones that could contain the water.
The water in the impounding systems also seeps into the water table, so the wells will not run dry.
De Gracia said that Sibalom has a concrete water impounding system in Barangay Solong, along the Sibalom River. It served as the source of water for residents in the area during the El Niño phenomenon in 2024. (PNA)