President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to construct water impounding facilities in areas outside Metro Manila would help farmers a lot particularly during the dry season, a top official of the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) said on Monday. During the Laging Handa public briefing, NWRB executive director Sevillo David Jr. said the construction of water impounding facilities would also help reduce flood damage, as well as provide water sources for the agriculture sector that would, in turn, increase agricultural productivity. “Malaki po ang maitutulong ng mga ito, unang-una po sa pagbabawas sa posibleng epekto ng pagbaha at sa isang banda, ay makakatulong din iyon kapag na-impound natin iyong mga tubig ay puwede pong magamit mapakinabangan particular po sa sektor ng agrikultura (This would be helpful, first of all, reduce the impact of flooding and also the impounded waters could also be beneficial particularly for the agriculture sector),” David said. He said the NWRB is coordinating with the Water Resources Management Office (WRMO) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to integrate the flood control programs of the government. “Nagpapasalamat po tayo sa direktibang binigay po ng ating Pangulo tungkol sa mga water impounding facilities. Sa tingin po natin ay itong mga pasilidad na ito ay sila pong makakatulong sa kasalukuyang sitwasyon natin para mapangalagaan iyong mga pangangailangan po natin sa mga tubig, particular po kapag panahon ng tag-init. (We are grateful for the President’s directive regarding these water impounding facilities. We think these facilities would help with our current situation to ensure enough water supply, especially during the dry season),” he said. Last week, Marcos bared his administration’s plan to build ‘large’ water impounding facilities outside of Metro Manila to control flooding in the country’s metropolis. He said the impounded water could also be used for agricultural purposes. ‘Huwag natin naman sana tinatapon ‘yung tubig dahil kailangan na natin iyang tubig na iyan. So, gumagawa rin kami ng paraan para maipon ang tubig. Naghahanap ngayon kami ng mga lugar sa labas ng Maynila kung saan puwedeng maglagay ng mga malaki or large na impounding areas (Let us not waste the water because we will need that. That’s why we are also looking for a way to impound the water. We are now looking for areas outside Metro Manila where we can build large impounding areas),’ Marcos said. Marcos has also directed the WRMO to come up with a ‘comprehensive’ plan to protect coastal communities and Metro Manila from flooding. David reiterated the NWRB’s appeal to the public to continue saving water amid reports that water levels in Angat Dam and five other dams continued to drop despite rains experienced last week in many parts of the country. ‘Sa tingin po natin ang publiko po ay malaki rin po ang maitutulong sa pagma-manage ng supply po natin partikular sa mga reservoir kagaya ng Angat Dam sa tamang paggamit po at mas responsable at pagtitipid po ng tubig sa ating mga pangangailangan (I think the public has a big role in managing the supply of our reservoirs like Angat Dam through proper and responsible use of water for our needs),’ he said. Higher water allocation He said the NWRB’s decision to maintain the current higher water allocation of 52 cubic meters per second (cms) for Metro Manila would not affect the ongoing efforts to conserve water ahead of the impact of the El Niño phenomenon. David said the agency approved the request of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) to extend the increased water allocation from the Angat-Ipo-La Mesa water system until June 30 under certain conditions. David noted that among these conditions include intensifying efforts to address water leakage and supporting water conservation efforts. “Kasama po sa mga kondisyon ay iyong mga pagpapalawig po at paigtingin iyong efforts po ng MWSS at mga konsesyonaryo para po maka-recover iyong mga tubig sa sistema po nila na lumalabas po sa mga tagas, iyong mga leakages po. At iyon pong mga pag-maintain po noong paggamit po ng kanilang water treatment facilities, kung puwede pong i-maximize ito (One of the conditions is strengthening efforts by the MWSS and water concessionaires to restore water loss from leaking pipes. Using water treatment facilities should also be maximized and maintained),” David said. David said the water level in Angat Dam, which is the major source of water in Metro Manila, is at 186 meters or considered normal operating level. The 52 cms allocation was supposed to ease to 50 cms for the MWSS for the June 16 to 30 period, but the NWRB approved its extension. “Ito pong kasalukuyang extension masasabi po nating hindi naman po makaka-apekto masyado ito at nakikipagtulungan din po tayo sa MWSS para po mapa-igting iyong efforts nila (This current extension would not greatly affect [the government’s water conservation efforts] and we are also collaborating with the MWSS to strengthen their efforts),” David said. David, however, said the NWRB would have to reduce water supply to MWSS, which has concession deals with Manila Water and Maynilad, as the threat of El Niño looms and in preparation for the supply needs of Metro Manila next year. He pointed out that rainfall during the previous weeks had not been sufficient to considerably increase the water level in Angat Dam. In June, Malacañang directed all national government agencies and instrumentalities to ensure the strict implementation of water conservation measures to thwart the possible shortage of supply amid the looming El Niño phenomenon.
Source: Philippines News Agency