Despite the declining water supply due to the El Niño phenomenon, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Thursday, May 2, said cutting water supply and rationing water are still not being considered by the government.
“We do not anticipate as you might say, ‘extreme measures’—cutting off water as far as rationing is not part of our discussion,” DENR Secretary Maria Antonia “Toni” Yulo-Loyzaga said during the launching of the Philippine-Canada Partnership on Nature-based solutions for Climate Adaptation.
“As much as possible (we) would not like for water disruptions to actually happen,” she added.
According to the DENR chief, managing the water flow and pressure is one of the ways the agency is implementing to ensure unhampered water supply to communities.
Environment Undersecretary of Integrated Environmental Science Carlos Primo David earlier said the agency has reduced the water pressure for households every night to conserve water.
When asked if the DENR plans to impose fines to force Filipinos to conserve water, Loyzaga said the imposition of fines is not within the agency’s authority.
“However, we do request the local governments to actually work with their constituents in order to observe conservation on the ground,” said Loyzaga.
“And that’s where we have to work through as part of the government’s decision to aggressively address the current shortage of supply,” she went on.
‘Angat’s water level quite alarming’
On April 30, David said the decrease in the water level of Angat Dam, Metro Manila’s primary source of water, amid the El Niño phenomenon, is “quite alarming.”
Metro Manila is heavily reliant on Angat Dam as 90 percent of its water supply comes from it. Meanwhile, 10 percent of the metropolis’ water supply comes from other sources, including Laguna Lake, recycled water, and deep wells.
The DENR undersecretary stated that Angat Dam’s current water level is at 188 meters, noting this is still above the minimum operating level of 180.
“However, I should say that while the supply is still enough, the decrease in water level in terms of its rate is quite alarming,” he said during the joint media briefing of Task Force El Niño.
Angat’s water level drops by about 0.4 to half a meter every day, David stated.
The state weather bureau, he noted, has forecasted that the rainfall for May and June will still be below normal. David said normal rainfall is expected by August.
DENR’s interventions to conserve water
As early as May, the environment department and its partner agencies have been implementing measures to conserve the water from Angat Dam, the undersecretary said.
Aside from reducing the water pressure every night, he said the DENR, in collaboration with the toll regulatory board and water service providers, fixed water leaks during the Holy Week.
David added that they did not even go through the proper government process because the department will be required to secure so many permits just to excavate the street and repair it.
El Niño’s damage to agri
Based on the most recent data from the Department of Agriculture (DA), El Niño’s damage to the Philippines’ agriculture sectors has soared to P4.39 billion.
A total of 85,232 farmers and fisherfolk in 11 regions in the country, the agency said.
The DA said 11 regions have been devastated by El Niño were Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), Mimaropa (Mindoro Occidental, Mindoro Oriental, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan), Bicol Region, Western Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Davao Region, and Soccsksargen (South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos City).