THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is eyeing a multipurpose water infrastructure to optimize the
utilization of the country’s water resources that could enable multitasked usage of the national resource.
Meanwhile, the water level at Angat Dam, Metro Manila’s main water source, is “enough” for now although it would need to go up in
preparation for the El Niño phenomenon, according to the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS).
DENR Secretary Antonia Loyzaga said the agency will refocus government’s water security strategy, look to tap other water sources
and recycle wastewater as the need for stable and steady water supply increases on the back of growing demand and the threat from the El
Niño episode.
The DENR will work closely with other concerned government agencies, such as the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the
National Economic and Development Authority, the Local Water Utilities Administration, and the MWSS on the possibility of building public water supply facilities for multiple usage, including irrigation, power generation, industrial and commercial and domestic purposes, she said.
“We are looking at our respective budgets and our programs to see how we can design multipurpose infrastructure to actually serve the
different needs of agriculture, power, water for domestic use, and for industry,” she added.
The DENR and the DPWH are jointly studying the construction of more water collection and impounding systems and flood control structures
as mitigation approaches to climate change and its impacts.
Water conservation and efficiency, along with multipurpose water infrastructure may be used for more than one purpose for economic,
social and environmental activities to address the different dimensions of water security, Loyzaga said.
The agency is also working with the Department of Finance, too, to see how the government can incentivize public-private partnerships for
bulk water supply and other projects that could deliver water where it is most needed.
The World Bank has expressed interest in funding multipurpose infrastructure to address sectors that are critically in danger
because of climate change.
Recent rains due to the monsoon strengthened by typhoons Egay and Falcon raised the water level in Angat Dam by 21 meters to 200 meters,
MWSS division manager Patrick James Dizon said.
“Sapat iyong tubig natin sa ngayon. Kaya lamang ay kailangan natin at tina-target po natin ang elevation sa pagtatapos ng taon ng around 210
to 212 meters,” Dizon said in a public briefing.
“Sa elevation na 210 to 212 meters sa pagtatapos ng taon ay mai-ensure po natin na mayroon po tayong tubig na magagamit pagpasok ng epekto ng El Niño,” he added.
According to him, the water is enough for now. “But we are targeting an elevation of 210 to 212 meters by the end of the year. This will ensure that we have enough water when the effects of El Niño kick in,” he added.
Angat Dam is the major source of water in Metro Manila and nearby provinces such as Rizal, Bulacan, and Cavite.
Meanwhile, the water service interruption being experienced in parts of Las Piñas, Bacoor City, and Imus City sa Cavite could be attributed
to the regular maintenance activities of concessionaires. These are necessary to improve services and replace filtration equipment at
water treatment plants, Dizon said.
“Ito iyong parte ng responsibilidad ng ating konsesyonaryo na panatilihin nila na gumagana iyong kanilang mga planta at dapat laging
nama-maximize nito iyong kanilang mga production,” he said.
“Kasi kung maalala ng taumbayan na nagkakaroon nang palagiang pag-i-interrupt ‘no sa mga planta na ito kapag nagkakaroon po ng
tinatawag natin iyong paglabo po ng tubig sa Laguna Lake,” he said.
Algae, pollution from the informal settlers, and the lake’s high turbidity could block water filtration systems, the MWSS earlier said.
This can lead to further water interruption in areas south of Metro Manila due to maintenance operations of filtration facilities.
The MWSS sources nine percent of its water being distributed in Metro Manila from the Laguna de Bay.