The MCWD office was badly damaged, leading to the suspension of their operations.
“We thought we would never recover. We had no salary from MCWD, nothing,” she said, her voice tinged with emotion.
Leopoldo Quiniquiz, a water and habitat engineer for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)’s water supply projects, remembers seeing the helplessness of the residents who were forced to flee from their homes.
“Marawi used to be a bustling town. So, I was shocked to see how much the residents suffered. Everything was destroyed: from houses, to schools, and infrastructure. The residents had a hard time getting water in the shelters. They couldn’t drink, take a bath, nor could they wash their clothes.” While some residents are still struggling to recover from the devastating impact of the conflict, the delivery of clean water to Marawi has finally improved. Businesses and homes in some parts of the Least Affected Area now have 24-hour access to water, while some parts have water for as much as eight hours each day. Water is now flowing from the pipes replaced by the ICRC and MCWD.
Leopoldo Quiniquiz, a Water and Habitat engineer for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)’s water projects, inspects the construction being done in Barangay Tuca in Marawi. Photo: B. Sultan/ICRC.
For years, the water supply system in Marawi deteriorated due to the absence of maintenance and investment. The situation worsened further after the system was damaged during the 2017 armed conflict. In 2018, the ICRC hired a consultant, the Maynilad Water Services, to study the water supply network and provide recommendations on how it could be rehabilitated, a necessity before any work could be done.
Says Norodin Banocag, an engineer for the MCWD, “The ICRC tapped Maynilad to do a comprehensive assessment of all the pump stations in Marawi. They mapped all the pipelines, valves, pump stations, everything.”
The ICRC and the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) used the Maynilad’s report to plan the improvement of the network.
“The ICRC helped us upgrade the old pipelines. They also helped us treat the water with chlorine,” Banocag said.
Marawi used to be a bustling town. So, I was shocked to see how much the residents suffered. Everything was destroyed: from houses, to schools, and infrastructure. The residents had a hard time getting water in the shelters. They couldn’t drink, take a bath, nor could they wash their clothes.
But the work did not stop there. The pumping stations were completely refitted, to make them more efficient and effective, making them compatible with the new pipelines. The ICRC also rehabilitated three borehole pumps and refitted them with new pumps and controllers. It also provided backup generators that could operate the three pumps in cases of city power interruptions.
As part of a holistic approach, the ICRC also repaired the MCWD’s offices to make it possible for its team to effectively provide services to its customers.
At present, the MCWD, with support from the ICRC, have replaced almost 8 kilometers of pipelines to improve the quality and quantity of water delivered to customers. Almost 1,900 households in Marawi City have benefitted from the rehabilitation of the water system.
The MCWD and ICRC’s efforts paid off: water is now available in most parts of the Least Affected Area, although some parts still need to rely on water rationing. The water pressure has also improved. In the transitional shelters of Sagonsongan, Dulay and Boganga, where many former residents still live, the ICRC has improved the water system, fixed the water reservoir and installed pipelines for residents to improve their access to water.
Internally displaced people at the Sagonsongan transitional shelter in Marawi City line up their containers at the water supply system ICRC helped repair. Photo: B. Sultan/ICRC.
While the ICRC has finished all its projects, it will continue to provide the MCWD with technical advice, operational support, and maintenance of the water system hopping that soon the LWUA and MCWD complete the replacement of the other pipes in the network.
Quiniquiz said he is looking forward to the day when clean drinking water will become available to all residents 24 hours a day. “After everything the residents have been through, it would be good if they could have this basic necessity,” he added.
ICRC water and habitat coordinator Sameer Elias Putros said that the ICRC “remains determined to support Marawi’s water service as it recovers from the conflict.”
“While we have completed our part of the work, we will continue to support the MCWD by providing technical advice and support for their operation and maintenance, and we look forward that the Local Water Utilities Administration LWUA and MCWD complete the remaining pipes in Marawi’s water supply network,” he added.
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