KIDAPAWAN CITY, Philippines - More than 9,000 residents from the northern portion of this city and nearby Matalam town in North Cotabato will no longer have to worry about lack of water supply especially during peak hours after the construction of the more than P5-million water storage tank was completed early this month. The concrete ground reservoir has a capacity to store 600,000 liters of water enough to supply the more than 1,500 service connections from Barangay Amas, this city, and Matalam town, according to Stella Marie Gonzales-Anima, general manager of the Metro Kidapawan Water District (MKWD). The ground reservoir was part of the System Improvement and Expansion Project (SIEP) of the MKWD, funded by the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) through a loan. Early last year, the LWUA granted the MKWD a loan amounting to P252 million. To date, some P102 million was already released by the LWUA, according to MKWD assistant general manager Engr. Sandy Alqueza. One of the ongoing water expansion projects of the MKWD, which was launched early January this year, was the construction of the state-of-the-art transmission line project, which amounted to P41.169 million, and the Lapaan Phase 4 intake modification project, which costs P16.71 million. This project, according to Alqueza, will increase current water production by 40 percent. In nearby Makilala, a hinterland town in North Cotabato, the ongoing water expansion project in Barangay Patulangon is expected to serve more than 1,750 service connections. Data showed that MKWD has already accomplished some P15.45 million worth of system improvement projects that resulted in additional 2,344 service connections for Kidapawan City and Makilala. LWUA chairman Prospero Pichay said that with more than 22,300 service connections or 122,650 water concessionaires, the MKWD is already considered one of the biggest water districts in the country.
Water sources of MKWD include the Lapaan dam and Pinang Inaman spring in Barangay Perez, this city; Puwagan spring in Barangay Batasan, Makilala; and Magpet spring in Barangay Bongalanon, Magpet, all located at the foot of Mount Apo, the country's highest peak, making the drinking waters produced by the water district the safest and cleanest waters in the country, according to Alqueza. On Nov 19, Pichay led the cutting of ribbon and ceremonial opening of the valve of the 600-cubic-meter concrete ground reservoir for the Matalam water system located along the highway in Barangay Amas, this city. It was witnessed by Cotabato Gov. Lala Mendoza, Cotabato 2nd district Representative Nancy Catamco, and City Mayor Rodolfo Gantuangco
