DENR readies 135 water security projects to combat El Niño

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) plans to carry out 135 “water security projects” nationwide as the country prepares for a looming water shortage caused by an intensified El Niño dry spell, Environment Secretary Ma. Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga said on Tuesday.

In a television interview, Loyzaga said the DENR was helping local governments identify areas that were good water sources for installing deep well projects.

“What we’re trying to do now is work directly with the local governments. We have packaged the first 135 water projects that will be opened to government as well as [public-private partnership] opportunities to service our most water-stressed areas,” she said.

The DENR chief made the disclosure a day after the Metropolitan Water Works and Sewerage and System (MWSS) called on the public to conserve water amid the recorded receding water level at Angat Dam in Bulacan, the main reservoir for residents of Metro Manila and nearby areas.

According to MWSS division manager Patrick Dizon, the dam’s water level has been decreasing by 12 centimeters daily, mainly due to the lack of rainfall because of El Niño.

Marching orders

At a meeting on Thursday in Malacañang, the DENR received its marching orders from President Marcos to implement the National Adaptation Plan 2023-2050 and conduct an intensified public awareness campaign in “high-risk” regions.

Loyzaga told the President in that meeting about ongoing projects to help local governments with climate adaptation and resilience.

According to her, the DENR has started building public water supply facilities for multiple uses, such as irrigation, power generation, and industrial, commercial, and domestic consumption.

It has also mapped out the country’s rivers and streams and existing surface water and matched these sources with the needs of local governments and communities.

“This will allow us to provide inputs that we no longer have to dig for deep wells in an area if our data shows the absence of a surface water source,” Loyzaga said.

“As of now, we have already built the first 135 projects, and we will add 100 more water security projects nationwide so that each region will have their projects down to the local governments,” she added. INQ