Marcos says PH now switching to surface water to ensure supply
Published Apr 24, 2023 06:51 am
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said that the government is “slowly converting” its dependence on water supply to surface water from underground water as the country tries to mitigate the effects of El Niño.
*File photo*
Marcos said this as he stressed the need for government agencies to make the necessary preparations to address the looming dry spell. In an interview with broadcaster Erwin Tulfo over State-run Radyo Pilipinas, the President said that the government has stepped up efforts to convert the country’s dependence on water supply from underground water to surface water. “We are slowly converting our dependence of water supply from underground water to surface water. Yun ang pinaka-basic diyan (That’s the most basic) and then the distribution systems,” he said. “Kung pupuntahan mo yung mga distribution system natin sa mga water authority, noong panahon pa ng giyera eh noong nilagay ‘yung mga tubo-tubo, eh (If you’ll visit our distribution systems of the water authorities, the pipes there were installed during war time),” he added President Marcos, who recently signed an executive order creating a Water Management Office (WMO), said the government platform will help deal with the country's water crisis. “Kasi alam naman natin pag walang tubig, walang buhay. Ganun lang kasimple ‘yan (We know that there’s no life without water. It’s that simple),” he said. “Kailangan na magkaroon ng sapat na supply ng malinis, ligtas na tubig na kahit pag masyadong mahina ang ulan o nagka-El Niño ay mayroon pa rin tayong water supply (We need to have a sufficient supply of clean and potable water that even if there’s no rain or El Niño comes, we still have water),” the President explained Marcos said the government has ramped up its alert and warning systems, particularly the capabilities of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), to provide El Niño forecasts and impacts. In a previous sectoral briefing, President Marcos tasked agencies to come up with a whole-of-government strategy to address the El Niño phenomenon that may hit the country this year until early next year. Two specific instructions given by the President are the adoption of a whole-of-government or whole-of-nation approach and putting up protocol-based and scientific long-term processes that could be adopted by the country.
*File photo*
Marcos said this as he stressed the need for government agencies to make the necessary preparations to address the looming dry spell. In an interview with broadcaster Erwin Tulfo over State-run Radyo Pilipinas, the President said that the government has stepped up efforts to convert the country’s dependence on water supply from underground water to surface water. “We are slowly converting our dependence of water supply from underground water to surface water. Yun ang pinaka-basic diyan (That’s the most basic) and then the distribution systems,” he said. “Kung pupuntahan mo yung mga distribution system natin sa mga water authority, noong panahon pa ng giyera eh noong nilagay ‘yung mga tubo-tubo, eh (If you’ll visit our distribution systems of the water authorities, the pipes there were installed during war time),” he added President Marcos, who recently signed an executive order creating a Water Management Office (WMO), said the government platform will help deal with the country's water crisis. “Kasi alam naman natin pag walang tubig, walang buhay. Ganun lang kasimple ‘yan (We know that there’s no life without water. It’s that simple),” he said. “Kailangan na magkaroon ng sapat na supply ng malinis, ligtas na tubig na kahit pag masyadong mahina ang ulan o nagka-El Niño ay mayroon pa rin tayong water supply (We need to have a sufficient supply of clean and potable water that even if there’s no rain or El Niño comes, we still have water),” the President explained Marcos said the government has ramped up its alert and warning systems, particularly the capabilities of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), to provide El Niño forecasts and impacts. In a previous sectoral briefing, President Marcos tasked agencies to come up with a whole-of-government strategy to address the El Niño phenomenon that may hit the country this year until early next year. Two specific instructions given by the President are the adoption of a whole-of-government or whole-of-nation approach and putting up protocol-based and scientific long-term processes that could be adopted by the country.