PRECIOUS FLOW Metro Manila residents have been reeling from the water shortage for the
past several weeks as the reserve in Angat Dam in Bulacan province dipped to precarious levels
because of lack of rain. —GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE / FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Tuesday unveiled its plans to “diversify” water sources, along with the appeal to conserve water during the El Niño phenomenon.
DENR-Water Resources Management Office (WRMO) head Usec. Carlos David’s announcement comes as Angat Dam’s water dropped below the minimum operating level — 178.8 meters, slightly below the 180 meters minimum — barely a month after El Niño officially began.
Angat Dam provides water for Metro Manila and surrounding provinces, including Cavite, Rizal, and Bulacan.
“One strategy is, of course, to diversify our sources of water and not to rely too much on Angat, so there have been a couple of efforts over the last few months to increase our sources of water besides Angat,” said David in a press conference.
David explained that the DENR is already employing several strategies in diversifying water sources, including the Kaliwa Dam, which is part of the agency’s medium-term strategies and is set to be online by 2027.
Short-term water supply augmentation programs are already being done with water concessionaires, namely, tapping water from Laguna Lake and reprocessing wastewater.
Meanwhile, the DENR also implored the general public to contribute by conserving water.
“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 to Metro Manila and all concessionaires, we’re foreseeing an El Niño season that would likely be moderate or strong,” said David.
“That means the drought conditions that we might be facing towards the last quarter of this year will, number one, extend to the first quarter of 2024, and two, its impact may be more extreme than we are predicting,” he added.
The DENR recently released two WRMO bulletins, requiring every government facility to have its own water meter, instructing all barangay officials and condominium and subdivision managers to advise residents to conserve water, promote rainwater collection for non-potable use of water, and to reuse laundry and dishwashing wastewater for watering plants.
The said WRMOs also directed all local government units in NCR to fast-track the approval of pipe repairs of water concessionaires Manila Water and Maynilad
All this came as the country bears the brunt of El Niño season, which refers to the warming of the ocean surface in the central and eastern tropical Pacific, typically causing increased heat globally, resulting in drought and heavy rains in some parts of the world.
The state weather bureau previously projected that El Niño would persist until 2024.