MANILA, Philippines — Quezon City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte on Thursday urged city dwellers to immediately report broken faucets or pipe leaks to authorities so it can immediately be fixed as she appealed for the exercise of water conservation measures amid water supply shortage and looming El Niño phenomenon.
Belmonte said it is imperative for city dwellers to practice conscious efforts to save water especially now that water supply is scarce.
She also encouraged the use of reusable water bottles “so that we do not have to use utensils that need to be washed.”
“We should use water wisely,” the Quezon City vice mayor noted. “The practice of water conservation starts at home.”
“Also, establishments should not forget to check their water system for leakages,” she added.
Belmonte then reminded restaurant businesses operating in Quezon City to strictly comply with Ordinance No. 2437 or the Anti-Water Wastage Ordinance, which mandates them to serve water only upon request of customers.
“Dahil minsan, may customers talaga na bibigyan ng tubig tapos ayaw naman pala nila at nasasayang lang,” she pointed out.
Belmonte, however, expressed dismay over the effect of water service interruptions in some parts of Quezon City, especially its impact on responding to fire incidents.
“It is very unfortunate here in QC [that we have a water supply problem] especially since there are fire incidents suddenly happening,” she said.
She cited the recent fire in Barangay Baesa where over 300 houses were reportedly razed. The fire incident happened on the day of water service interruption.
READ: Fire hits QC residential area
“In Brgy. Baesa for one, the fire marshals really had trouble putting out the fire. Because of those incidents, we could not help but just ask for the public’s cooperation as the local government is also doing its part to address the water shortage,” Belmonte said.
On Wednesday, the Manila Water Co. issued a latest schedule of water service cutoffs in several parts of Metro Manila and Rizal from March 14 and 15.
READ: Manila Water issues service cutoff schedule in Metro Manila, Rizal
/kga