THE VIEW FROM RIZAL

“We have an annual ‘ritual’ regarding our water supply situation,” a colleague in the local government sector told me recently. I asked him what he meant, and we found his explanation both sad and funny. He said: During the wet season, we worry about our dams overflowing due to heavy rains and flooding the surrounding towns and cities. During the dry season, we worry about the low water levels in our dams as we nervously listen to announcements regarding possible water rationing. Yes, we are nervous again as the “vigil” over the dwindling water level at our dams began a few weeks ago as we start this year’s “ritual.” Stoking the embers of our collective anxiety was the pronouncement of a senior official of a water agency urging the heads of Metro Manila’s local governments to pass ordinances regulating the use of water. The official called attention in particular to the car washing operations and golf courses based in the National Capital Region. We do not know if the call to regulate the use of water by these entities will be heeded by our colleagues in Metro Manila. What we do know is that all sectors must cooperate in the bid to conserve water, whether or not the annual “ritual” of dams-drying-up-then-overflowing would happen this year. The fact is we must all learn to use water responsibly. The call made by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to LGUs last Monday further underscored the need for responsible use of water. We were told to prepare for the onslaught of “El Niño.” Several portions of the metropolis had already felt this in advance as they had been experiencing water service interruptions for hours in the past few months. This looming crisis will not be unique to the National Capital Region and parts of Luzon. The expected “El Niño” is set to impact Mindanao as well, based on the prognosis aired by PAGASA. This perennial problem should lead us all to understand and accept one important fact: the world’s supply of fresh water is not infinite. Cynics, expectedly, would say that the Earth has an inexhaustible supply of hydrogen and oxygen. The planet will continue to produce water providing us unlimited supply. That is not what researchers say. The fact is Earth does not have unlimited water and the total amount of water on the planet stays fairly constant, a professor of earth and atmospheric sciences at the University of Mexico told US media. The professor underscored: “Water scarcity occurs, not because there is less total water, but because water becomes less available in specific places due to overuse, drought or pollution.” Speaking of “overuse,” the public must know that residences, commercial establishments, and businesses do not have a monopoly on the use of the freshwater stored in the dam system in Luzon. That water is shared with agricultural lands where our food is produced. We also share that supply of precious fresh water with the hydropower generation facilities which produce electricity both for households and industries. When the freshwater supply is low, national government agencies have to make the tough decision of reallocating what’s available. One sector will then have to give up part of its allocation in favor of another. We cannot keep drawing from deep wells and shallow wells when the supply of fresh water from dams becomes scarce. Tapping groundwater is not sustainable. A study by the University of the Philippines says “groundwater in the Philippines may be depleted by 2050.” The continuous exploitation of groundwater may also result in the drying up of lakes, rivers, and streams, a United States government geological study warned. The water table is lowered. It becomes more difficult and more expensive to pump out water. The ecological consequences of this are unimaginable. This is why the national government is in a hurry to create additional dams where fresh water can be stored during the rainy season. To do so, it has to deal with issues of costs, technology, environmental safety, and social consent. It will take time before new dams are constructed. Meanwhile, we will all have to live with the annual “ritual” of worrying about lower dam levels in summer and overflowing dams during the rainy season. Local governments will do their share to conserve water and address the potential shortage, based on the directive of the DILG. However, the general public will have to contribute its share. We will all have to use water responsibly. We will have to reject the myth that its supply is unlimited and eternal. That would be the most irresponsible thing we can do in this situation. Let’s use water as if every drop counts. *(For feedback, please email it to [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) or send it to Block 6 Lot 10 Sta. Barbara 1 cor. Bradley St., Mission Hills Subd., Brgy. San Roque, Antipolo City, Rizal.)*