Environment Undersecretary Carlos Primo David (Photo from the Philippine Space Agency website)
MANILA, Philippines — As the El Niño phenomenon tightens its grip, the government is stepping up the campaign to conserve water starting with various national agencies, noting that they average around P10 million in water billings a month.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Tuesday disclosed that some agencies had apparently been remiss in checking their premises for waste and leaks that they end up spending P15 million to P17 million a month for water.
In a media briefing, Environment Undersecretary for Integrated Environmental Science Carlos Primo David said the government offices with the highest water consumption mostly had compounds made up of multiple buildings that rely on just “one mother meter” for their collective usage.
“They don’t have individual water meters, therefore you can’t identify which of the tenants or suboffices within a compound actually have water leaks or have high consumption of water,” David said.
He declined to name the government agencies, saying, “It’s not public information.”
The DENR’s Water Resources Management Office (WRMO) issued last week two bulletins on water conservation as the onset of El Niño prompted warnings of dry spells lasting until the first quarter of 2024 and as the water level at Angat Dam, Metro Manila’s main water source, went below the minimum operating level of 180 meters.
In one of the bulletins, the WRMO directed all government agencies to implement water conservation measures, including having separate water meters, checking for leaks and faulty fixtures, and shutting down the main building’s valve from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Government building administrators were also advised not to use potable water for watering plants or cleaning the surroundings.
In the second bulletin, the agency extended the reminder to all residents of Metro Manila and nearby provinces, calling on barangay officials as well as condominium and subdivision managers to cut back on activities like watering lawns or washing vehicles.
David reported that the DENR had initiated a program in partnership with water concessionaires Maynilad Water Services Inc. and Manila Water Co. Inc. to install submeters at all government buildings that share a compound, even if they already have a mother meter.
“This will allow us to determine which of these offices have leaks and which of them actually need to conserve water,” he said. “I should also mention that we started helping out these agencies to lower their bill and save precious water.”
Apart from the national agencies that need to mind their water consumption, there were also barangay halls that had been incurring up to P100,000 in monthly water billings despite having only a handful of office staff members, David noted.
The DENR has begun checking the water connections of the government compounds with the highest billings and so far found six instances where water leaks had largely gone unchecked, he said.
With the leaks fixed, “we’ll see the results of this and [it] will show the savings in their water bills for the month of July,” he said.
The DENR is focusing its attention on the matter to prevent a repeat of what happened in 2019, when Metro Manila and nearby provinces reeled from shortage as the water level at Angat Dam dropped below the critical level of 160 meters.
“We are not yet in that kind of situation but we are doing early interventions so we can avoid that from happening again,” he said. “I think this will be the first time in our history that we will enjoin the government, LGUs (local government units), and schools to actually actively participate in our water conservation campaign.”
Buy more tankers now
Also on Tuesday, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said LGUs must now start setting up their own water storage facilities as a short-term measure in the face of a possible shortage.
“In the short-term, I can see the (local government units) playing a very big role especially in distribution and additional water by having their own tankers, their own storage—that (option) should be activated,” he said in a media forum.
“Water will no longer be (available) 24/7. And as water rationing will be inevitable, we must make sure that even those who live in inaccessible or faraway areas are also given water, and not just limited to those who can afford it or who have the means to pay,” he said.
Private investment
He cited the experience of his hometown of Valenzuela City where the local government purchased water tankers which were then assigned schedules and specific target areas for rationing.
In the long term, he said, the national government should look into bringing in private investors to build new water-impounding facilities.
“I am aware that the construction of Kaliwa Dam is still ongoing but that will take time. What our country needs right now is what is being done in other countries—it’s called ‘pumped storage,’ which can supply water in the event that Angat Dam dries up,” he said.
Gatchalian said he would file a resolution to assess the current government measures in place to mitigate the adverse effects of El Niño and the dwindling water supply.
“We need to talk about this and I am aware that the Senate committee on natural resources is set to conduct a hearing on this… to find out the budgetary needs for water rationing or to help the LGUs,” he said.
“We are looking at three main concerns’’ arising from the water situation, he said: Its effect on the power supply, agriculture and the operation of medical facilities.