Faced with the effects of the El Niño phenomenon, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) plans to diversify the country’s water sources.
Undersecretary Carlos David, Water Resources Management Office head, urged the public to conserve water, noting that the Angat Dam in Bulacan is already below its minimum operating level at 178.8 meters or slightly below the 180 meters minimum.
He added DENR is also adopting short-term water supply augmentation programs, such as using water from Laguna Lake and reprocessing wastewater.
Rep. Elizaldy Co of Ako Bicol on Wednesday hailed the Congress, under the leadership of Speaker Ferdinand G. Martin Romualdez, for taking proactive measures to address the water supply challenges faced by many Filipinos, particularly exacerbated by the El Niño phenomenon.
Co said that “Romualdez’s visionary leadership” has provided solar water systems to the upland areas, enabling access to essential services that were previously lacking. This groundbreaking move demonstrates Congress’s commitment to leaving a lasting impact on the lives of the Filipino people.
“Even prior to the onset of the El Niño phenomenon, the Congress has allocated a significant budget of P10 billion in the 2023 GAA for the construction of solar-powered water supply systems across the country.” Co, chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, said.
He noted that Romualdez is committed to providing a solar-powered water supply system to 60 percent or 40 million Filipinos in the upland barangays to have access to potable water.
The Angat Dam supplies 98 percent of potable water in Metro Manila and its nearby provinces.
“One strategy is to diversify our sources of water, and not to rely too much on Angat. There are a couple of efforts over the last few months to increase our sources of water besides Angat,” he said.
These include the construction of the Kaliwa Dam, he said.
He also underscored the importance of water conservation.
“Every drop that we are able to save through individual efforts, through institutional strategies actually goes a long way because while the amount of water in Angat is still sufficient for Metro Manila and all concessionaires., we foresee the El Niño season to be moderate or strong,” he said.
The drought conditions due to El Niño may extend until the first quarter of 2024, and its impact is likely to be more extreme than what is expected, he added.
Senator Grace Poe has renewed her assertion for the creation of the Department of Water Resources to lead the comprehensive developmentand management of water resources to address the water crisis as she vowed to conduct a Senate hearing on the matter.
“Of course, we have been pushing for a long time to create the Department of Water Resources… we understand that this administration wants to streamline,” said Poe, who chairs the Senate public services committee.
She noted that the management of our water is under 30 agencies that have been contradicting each other. To solve this problem, she said these 30 agencies should be made as one.
Poe’s call dovetailed with a proposal by Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda, who said the water crisis “calls for the creation of a government department that will complete the circle when it comes to water management.”
“Our water supply problems right now come in large part from our failure as a state to manage our water resources in a holistic and forward-looking manner. We’ve been in a water crisis for decades, and it took another President Marcos to call it what it is,” Salceda said, in response to ongoing water issues among service providers in Metro Manila.
“Our water systems are constructed with little regard for source development. We don’t collect enough surface water, and when we want to, we don’t know whom to talk to in government. We can only tighten our belts so much with demand management. The real issue is supply management, and we’ve been failing for decades,” said Salceda, who chairs the House Ways and Means committee.
“That’s why we need the Department of Water Resources. Many people don’t get it. It’s not just another new agency. It’s an institutional solution to a decades-old problem of treating water resources as a peripheral and dispersed concern for the government,” he said.
In other developments:
* The Water for the People Network (WPN) said that El Niño should not be used as an excuse for water service interruptions. The water interruptions are a result of poor water services by profit-driven private firms Maynilad Water Services, Inc. and Manila Water Company, Inc., as well as those in local water districts under joint venture agreements. Thus, these water companies should refund consumers instead of periodically increasing water rates while invoking improving services. In the long run, water privatization should be stopped, the group said.