THE VIEW FROM RIZAL

The past two weeks have been both punishing and confusing for the residents of Metro Manila and its surrounding provinces. The hardship has been caused by the erratic and sudden changes in the weather. The changes are so drastic that we could hardly tell if reports of an extended and cruel El Niño are true or not, and whether or not there really is a shortage in the water supply. Barely two weeks ago, the Paris-based World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported that Mother Earth just recorded the hottest week on record. July 3 to be exact was the hottest day in the earth’s history, according to the US National Center for environmental prediction, echoing the earlier findings of the WMO. The United Nations likewise made an official declaration to that effect. We never imagined that such a record would be set during our lifetime. The scorching heat has been experienced in various parts of Europe, as well as in America which saw wildfires gutting down houses in parts of dry and arid California. Canada has not been spared from these wildfires triggered and stoked by record-breaking temperatures. When the report of the hottest week on record was announced, the country itself was reeling under extreme heat and humidity. Even prior to the announcement, various parts of Luzon had already been recording their own respective record heat indexes. During that time, we felt like we were still at the peak of summer in the midst of July. The advent of the extreme heat indexes was made even more worrisome by an announcement by East Zone water distribution concessionaire Maynilad. Its customers were told that there would be a nightly interruption of the supply of water. According to the firm, the supply of bulk water was insufficient, making it necessary to limit distribution. This week, we got a reprieve both from the severe heat and the shortage of water supply. Monsoon rains, triggered in part by the exit of Tropical Storm Dodong, came in torrents, flooding many parts of Metro Manila and Central and Southern Luzon, bringing traffic at the South Luzon Expressway to a standstill, and triggering the flow of lahar along a river in Pampanga. The latter may have inflicted some damage on a bridge along the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), causing its closure and adding woes to motorists bound for and coming from the western part of Luzon. The sudden, dramatic shift in weather conditions has become truly worrisome. In addition to the destruction of infrastructure and human health that the recent weather developments bring, we continue to worry about the reliability and security of our supply of water. Due to the recent monsoon rains, Maynilad announced that it is temporarily suspending the nightly interruption in water supply. It appears the rains have improved the inflow of water into several dams in Central Luzon. The firm was, however, quick to emphasize “temporary,” and pointed out that the programmed interruption may resume when the abundant inflow of water into our dams ceases. The worry over water is not exclusive to our country. It is a global concern. The WMO director for climate services himself said that the world “is an uncharted territory.. “We expect more records to fall as El Niño develops further and these impacts will extend into 2024,” he pointed out. What worries the international community most is the impact of worrisome weather conditions on our ecosystems and on our farms. Despite the advent of modern agriculture technologies, fresh water remains the single most important farm input. Without it, we cannot produce food to feed our ballooning population. For countries like ours, the situation becomes even more worrisome since water is a resource shared by many sectors: residences, industries, farms, and the power generation sector. When the water supply is tight, government agencies are forced to reallocate the supply of water to the sector that needs it most, sacrificing the needs of other sectors in the process. We are encouraged by the fact that the President publicly acknowledged the water crisis in March of this year when he said some 11 million Filipino families lack access to clean water, particularly during the dry season. We have faith that the President would consider the growing clamor for the creation of a Department of Water which will harmonize the programs and policies of the national government and hasten the completion of projects designed to bring in new sources of clean water. We laud the President for taking the initial step in this direction when he created the Water Resources Management Office under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. However, the creation of an independent department exclusively focused on worrying about and working on the sufficiency and sustainability of our water supply will be the better piece of news. Meanwhile, we ask our readers not to be lulled into complacency by the spate of monsoon rains. This may be a temporary relief. The worry over water is not over. ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).)