Town will address and mend broken, malfunctioning fire hydrants
Fire Hydrant Woes in Cebu City: Addressing the Issues
It's a hot mess out there in Cebu City as authorities grapple with a slew of malfunctioning and hidden fire hydrants. A report by the Cebu City Fire Office (CCFO) and the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) on June 3, 2025, revealed a grim picture of the city's fire hydrant network. Out of 226 listed fire hydrants, 52 had low water pressure, 42 were non-functional, and 11 faced obstructions.
Firefighters have long been voicing their distress about dysfunctional hydrants during emergencies, leading the CCFO to compile their complaints. Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) chairman Ramil Ayuman underlined the importance of strategically placing fire hydrants in fire-prone barangays to support fire services.
Ayuman's primary goals involve making all fire hydrants fully operational and improving their visibility through appropriate labeling. Funding for these initiatives is currently under discussion between the City Government and MCWD.
Mayor-elect Nestor Archival supports the plan to install water meters on all fire hydrants to monitor water usage, as water supplied for firefighting is considered non-revenue water for MCWD.
However, a significant discrepancy arises in the records – the BFP lists 226 hydrants, while MCWD records 368. Only 23 of these hydrants currently have water meters. To tackle this, the agencies have agreed to reconcile their data and submit it before June 26. They also plan to pursue legal action against encroachments.
In the broader context, installation or inspection of water meters could be part of an effort to improve urban safety and resource management. Details about funding and its allocation for these projects have not been explicitly outlined in available reports. City officials are conducting audits and verifying the status and locations of all hydrants to ensure accuracy and accountability.
Water Usage and Fire Response
In a phone interview on Tuesday, June 10, Archival emphasized the importance of monitoring water usage, stating, "The point is to know how much water is taken. We need to know the effect of MCWD's usage." Records seem to be a jumbled mess, and discrepancies in inventory or maintenance logs have surfaced, necessitating audits and a more accurate account of all hydrants. Stay tuned as we further unravel the story behind Cebu City's fire hydrant woes.
The Cebu City government, in collaboration with the Metropolitan Cebu Water District, is allocating funds to install water meters on all fire hydrants to monitor water usage, which is crucial for understanding the impact on the water supply system during medical-conditions and health-and-wellness emergencies. The ongoing data reconciliation effort aims to address discrepancies in the records of the listed fire hydrants.
