Water, between drought and floods
BELOW THE LINE
By AMBASSADOR JOSE ABETO ZAIDE
“Ka Baguio-Baguio mo pa lang,
“Puro ka Caloocan.
“Eh, kung Dagupan kita,
“Di nagka Ilo-ilo ka!”
Ambassador José Abeto Zaide
I recall that nursery pun of my baptismal godson, Jemboy Bunyag, on reading last Friday’s story “Dagupan City sizzles at 48.2ºC.”
When the heat index reached a scorching 48.2 degrees Celsius last week, PAGASA authorities warned residents against heat stroke.
PAGASA explains “heat index” as the “apparent” temperature or what humans feel as the temperature affects their body. (It is usually higher by two to three degrees Celsius than the actual air temperature.)
A temperature of 32 to 41 degrees Celsius calls for “Extreme Caution” (“heat cramps and heat exhaustion are possible” and “could result in heat stroke”; 41 to 54 degrees Celsiu means “Danger” (“heat cramps and heat exhaustion” and probably “heat stroke”); over 54 degrees Celsius means “Extreme Danger” (“heat stroke imminent”)
Our human body must be evolving to be able to adapt to the warming weather. My generation got sent home from school when the heat wave hit above 33 degrees Celsius. (That was before the advent of air-conditioning in high-end schoolrooms.)
When our parents treated us to first-run theaters (Ideal, Times, Avenue, Lyric, Capitol), we brought sweaters because of air-conditioning.
We looked forward to summers to enjoy mangoes and delectable treats and trips to Baguio or far-away holidays.
Next picture -- swimming pools dry up when populace drink up the water.
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Good news: “DPWH to take advantage of the summer season for ongoing projects” - News item. DPWH Secretary Mark Villar said that road projects are expected to be on a roll this summer to take advantage of the dry season. “Dry season is advantageous to our contractors.” That’s hoping the summer heat doesn’t take its toll ...because 45 degrees Celsisus under the shade is conducive to a siesta.
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Power prices to go up – DOE. *Electric bills will increase next month due to the string of yellow alerts that has been straining the Luzon grid in recent days.
In the first week of April, the biggest power grid of the country was already plunged into “yellow alert” (lack-of-power-reserves condition for four days) due to unplanned power outages and de-rating of power plants.
DOE said this can lead to power rate hikes. The situation can only be softened, depending on the sourcing of power supply of the servicing distribution utilities – including a provision for replacement power for those generating units that suffered unplanned outages.
Assuming you can get power, the rich can afford to pay rate increases; and the poor are born to this world to live by the sweat of their brows.
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Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol proposed tapping alternative water sources to address the depleting water supply in Metro Manila. Assuming water is not needed by crops all-year round, Piñol said we can source water from dams in Luzon that is being used mainly for irrigation, aside from the water from the Angat, Ipo, and La Mesa water reservoirs. He cited especially Pantabangan Dam in Nueva Ecija. Pantabangan reservoir irrigates more than 80,000 hectares of farmland in Nueva Ecija and other Central Luzon provinces, with a peak capacity of 2.3 trillion liters of water. This makes Nueva Ecija the only all-year round water-provident province in entire Philippines.
It is a man-made miracle born out of stubborn faith and gumption. While many parts in the country suffer drought and declared a state of emergency, it is a sight to behold, in driving two hours on the Nueva Ecija highways, endless fields of green palay. We should ask the water diviner, Oscar Violago, where else that magic spell might be replicated.
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