Benavente on CUC plan: Say what?

The CNMI Water Task Force is not aware of the Commonwealth’s Utilities Corp. reported plan to invite private companies to supply it with water and to hire a consultant to evaluate their proposals.

Acting governor and CNMI Water Task Force chair Diego T. Benavente said yesterday that the task force was not consulted by the CUC on the issue.

“The task force is not aware of that. We had sent a message to the CUC board and management that we be at least consulted on water issues,” said Benavente.

The acting governor expressed surprise over CUC board chairman Herman P. Sablan’ pronouncements that the CUC is now about to issue a Request for Proposal for water companies and interested investors to sell water to CUC to address the current water shortage on Saipan.

Further, Benavente was puzzled over the CUC’s intention to hire a consultant to help in the project.

“I don’t quite understand,” he said.

Benavente earlier noted that the task force opted to tap existing personnel, instead of hiring an expert or a consultant to address the water situation to save on costs.

The task force was created in March last year specifically to ensure a 24-hour water supply on Saipan in 24 months.

Benavente said yesterday that the project is still on schedule and that he is confident it would meet its goal by the end of next year.

The task force is tasked to work closely with CUC and other agencies involved in water such as the Division of Environmental Quality. The task force consists of representatives from these agencies.

On Tuesday, Sablan disclosed that CUC aims to buy water from private companies to solve the current water problem and to ensure a 24-hour water supply on Saipan.

“ We will purchase water from them. We’re really pushing for this because we want to get 24-hour water faster,” Sablan had said.

Sablan said the CUC management has been instructed to issue an RFP to begin the process.

In addition, he said that another RFP would be issued for the hiring of a consultant to evaluate the proposals.

When asked, other board members said that such issue has not been decided by the board as a whole.

Member Joe Torres said that all he knew is that the CUC management is tasked to come up with a set of recommendations on water and power issues.

“As far as I know there’s no decision yet on anything including that one [RFP for purchase of water from private companies],” said Torres.

Member Velma Ann Palacios said any issuance of RFP should reach the board first. “That thing has not reached us,” she said.

Meantime, Sablan had noted that he would revive the desalination project proposal to address the water problem on Saipan. He believes that a desalination plant would solve the water shortage on the island.

For their part, Palacios and Torres said they are open to new technologies but due process must be made.

The CUC selected a private firm last year to build a desalination plant on Saipan but the project was eventually withdrawn due to alleged irregularities in the procurement process.

The CUC acknowledged that water shortage persists because its wells are not producing enough. It said that water level in its reservoirs were down to about six ft. from 31 ft.

CUC earlier said it can produce up to 11 million gallons of water a day during the rainy season. The production is reduced to 8.5 million gallons during dry season.

Aside from poor water supply, CUC has also poorly maintained systems. CUC said that some pumps are actually filled with sand, instead of water.