San Juan City Mayor and Metro Manila Council (MMC) President Francis Zamora called on the public to conserve water as the country continues to experience tremendous heat wave due to the El Niño phenomenon.
Mayor Francis Zamora
"Water is a precious resource that sustains us all, the lifeblood of our community. It is our collective duty to safeguard this invaluable asset for ourselves, our families, and future generations," Zamora said.
"I urge everyone to join hands in our mission to conserve water. Every action, no matter how small, contributes to our shared goal. Whether it is repairing water leaks, embracing water-saving appliances, or simply practicing responsible water usage in our daily lives, each effort makes a significant difference," he added.
In June last year, the mayor stressed the importance of conserving water as early as now as well as the creation of water catchment areas as the water levels in the primary dams that are supplying water to households in the National Capital Region (NCR) continue to decline.
"Sa amin sa city hall, pwede na ngayon maggawa ng rain catchment areas, ganun din sa aming barangay halls, preschools, government facilities, at ganun din sa ating kanya-kanyang mga tahanan. Ang ibig sabihin ng water catchment ay sasaluhin lang natin 'yung rainwater. Pag umuulan sasaluhin natin 'yung tubig tapos sa pamamagitan ng paggawa ng mga embudo, pagkuha ng mga drum na pagsasalukan ng tubig, ito ay gagamitin natin sa ibat ibang paraan. Pwedeng panglinis ng bahay, pwedeng pandilig ng mga halaman, depende na sa linis ng tubig na makukuha (We, at the city hall, are now creating rain catchment areas as well as in our barangay halls, preschools, government facilities, as well as in our own homes. Water catchment means that we are catching and storing rainwater with the use of funnels and drums so that we may use it in our daily needs. We may use it for cleaning our homes, watering our plants, and many other uses depending on the cleanliness of the water that we have collected)," Zamora said.
"Sa mga facilities na controlled ng local government dahil pag aari ito ng lokal na pamahalaan, nagseset up tayo ng mga catchment systems sa mga bubong. Matapos yang maimbak ay pwedeng gamiting pandilig gaya sa aming mga halaman sa Pinaglabanan Shrine at paglilinis ng aming mga thoroughfares, panay mga reused water na po yan (We are installing catchment systems on the roofs of facilities controlled and owned by the local government. The stored water can then be used to water the plants at the Pinaglabanan Shrine and in cleaning our thoroughfares )," he stressed.
Regulated use of water
Aside from water catchment areas, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) urged local government units in the NCR to regulate the use of water in maintaining golf courses and in operating car washing shops.
Citing data from weather experts, MMDA chairman Don Artes said El Niño is expected to persist until May this year and this means water crisis mitigation measures must be implemented to lessen the effects of the phenomenon.
There are at least 10 golf courses in Metro Manila while car wash shops are operating in various parts of the metropolis.
Aside from reducing the use of water in golf courses and in car wash shops, Artes said they have already laid down other measures and will be shared with the LGUs in Metro Manila through the approved resolution of the MMC.
Among these are the recycling of wastewater or gray water for watering plants and car washing, fixing leaks in water pipes, and the development of water filtration systems.
“We already developed basic designs for the rainwater catchment system that will be distributed to the Metro Manila LGUs,” said Artes.
"We will distribute these designs to the 17 Metro Manila LGUs in support of the water mitigation measures that they will come up with in their respective cities and municipalities, depending on the needs in their areas," he added.
Artes said two of the MMDA-designed catchment systems were already installed in a pocket park in Tripa de Gallina in October last year where the rainwater harvesting tank was set up near the public toilet so the water can be reused for toilet flushing.
The other tank, he said, was installed in a pocket garden/greenhouse where the rainwater is used to water plants.