Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda (Rep. Salceda's office)




Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda says that the "most immediate and effective solution" to the water crisis is to make the local agriculture sector more efficient with how it uses water. “The most economic point-of-view here is simple: We need agriculture to be more efficient with water use. That’s the most immediate, effective, and economical demand management solution," Salceda said as concerns of a harsh El Niño episode continued to grab news headlines. "Water use efficiency is also lowest in agriculture, with the sector yielding P15.61 per cubic meter used, while overall, the economy yields P192.4 pesos per cubic meter of water used," noted the economist-solon. Salceda mentioned irrigation in particular as the agriculture component that should be improved in the grand scheme of managing water supply. “Obviously, if we want to save on water, the demand management should focus on the biggest user. Irrigation accounts for at least 80 percent. So, we need to invest in more precise irrigation, so that we don’t waste all that water," he said. “The other thing is evaporation management," continued Salceda. "During seasons like the El Niño, you can lose as much as 75 percent of your water flows to irrigation. So, it’s very difficult to maintain water levels in places like Angat.” Salceda was referring to the 56-year-old Angat Dam in Norzagaray, Bulacan. The dam, which supplies 90 percent of Metro Manila's raw water requirements, is reported to be below operating level. “We need to learn from the way other countries control evaporation. There are engineering solutions to that. Some countries simply cover the dams with some polymer. I’ve seen a California reservoir manage evaporation by covering the entire surface of their reservoirs with dark floating plastic balls. We need to get creative with this," the House Committee on Ways and Means said. Salceda said there's also a need for maintenance management. "Some of our dams need to be desilted. Depth affects evaporation and carrying capacity. Silted dams are naturally shallower. So, dams that have silt deposits underneath could actually hold less water than their advertised water levels indicate. The silt is also fertilizer, so it’s win-win for all. “I will be meeting an integrated team of water governance experts from the different national government agencies so we could come up with solutions as soon as possible,” the former Albay governor said.