Blessed with rich water resources, the Philippines is poor in infrastructure to exploit and conserve its most precious asset. The advent of the El Niño weather phenomenon, or extended drought, is sending jitters to national and local government officials. The dry spell is leading to water rationing in the capital region and dry irrigation canals in the provinces―a bane for our Filipino farmers.
Yet, El Niño would have been a minor inconvenience for many Filipinos if policymakers and local government leaders treated the water supply quagmire with more resolve. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is more earnest―he has called on the world to safeguard water resources to avert conflict and ensure future global prosperity.
For the UN chief, water is “the most precious common good” and “needs to be at the center of the global political agenda.”
He knows whereof he speaks. Between two and three billion people worldwide experience water shortages, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and UN-Water in the latest edition of the UN World Water Development Report.
The global urban population facing water scarcity, says the report, is projected to double from 930 million in 2016 to 1.7 billion 2.4 billion people in 2050. The growing incidence of extreme and prolonged droughts is also stressing ecosystems, with dire consequences for both plant and animal species.
Here in the Philippines, not much is being done to alleviate water scarcity, especially in times of drought. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has noted that the unusual warming of sea surface temperatures along the equatorial Pacific has already developed into a weak El Niño and showed signs of strengthening in the coming months. El Niño refers to below-normal rainfall conditions, which will adversely impact on water resources, agriculture, energy, health and public safety.
The little rainfall has reduced the reservoir level at Angat Dam, the major source of water for Metro Manila and surrounding provinces. It has dropped to 179.23 meters Monday, below its minimum operating level of 180 meters and more than 20 meters below the normal high water level of 210 meters.
The dipping reservoir level has forced the National Water Resources Board to trim the raw water allocation for Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System’s two concessionaires to 48 cubic meters per second effective July 8.
About 591,000 customers of Maynilad Water Services Inc., which distributes water to the western zone of the urban capital region, are suffering from a nine-hour water interruption because of the lower allocation from Angat.
As I’ve written before here, the Philippines’ growing urban population will remain mired in a Third World setting if the water infrastructure remains in the post World War II era.
For decades, Metro Manila and its adjacent provinces have solely relied on the water provided by the 50-year-old Angat Dam. The dependence on a single source of water is untenable―the Philippine population has increased exponentially since the establishment of the dam.
The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, meanwhile, is taking a long time to construct the Kaliwa Dam that will serve as the second major reservoir for the 50-year old Angat dam.
Similar dams or water-impounding facilities should be built across Luzon to conserve this God-given resource. Hundreds of river systems criss-cross the main Philippine island and they merely empty into Manila Bay, West Philippine Sea or Pacific Ocean without being harnessed. Building water infrastructure is as essential as developing toll roads, airports and seaports across the nation.
A 33-year old law, in the meantime, is not being put into use to alleviate the water supply scarcity. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara back in 2019 called for the full implementation of Republic Act 6716, or the Rainwater Collector and Springs Development Act of 1989, in the wake of a similar water shortage in most parts of Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
The law requires the construction of rainwater collectors in every barangay to prevent flooding and ensure the uninterrupted provision of clean water during dry seasons. Rainwater harvesting offers a practical and immediate solution to the country’s water supply problem, the lawmaker said at that time.
“While we all wait for the construction of new dams, which may take years to complete, LGUs (local government units) should practice rainwater harvesting because it is a practical solution that will have direct impact on the grassroots,” he added.
The law has tasked the Department of Public Works and Highways to build water wells and rainwater collectors, develop springs and rehabilitate existing water wells in all barangays in the Philippines.
E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]
