Walking around the central business district of Makati and playing golf are two routines that I avoided, whenever possible, for nearly four months since the soaring heat index.
But I may have to go back to both activities following the announcement last week by the weather bureau -PAGASA - that the unusual warming of surface water in this tropical part of the Pacific Ocean, otherwise known as El Niño, has already come to pass.
Raindrops have started visiting us. Though, at times in seemingly ridiculous hours, like going home time thus making it a bit hard for the workforce to catch a ride. Still, it’s a welcome relief because this simply means I can now resume my walking exercise as well as an opportunity to again link-up with my golfing buddies in the course.
In my recent visit to Iloilo where I had a chance to once again play at the country's oldest golf course, Santa Barbara, renamed Iloilo Golf Course and Country Club, I saw first hand the havoc wrought by El Niño. The otherwise green fairway when I played in November last year turned into patches of yellowing grass and some parched portions of the ground.
The country is an archipelago, large bodies of water surround us. Sadly though, the supply of sufficient, safe, accessible, and affordable water and water facilities remains a problem.
According to the World Bank’s Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery online database (thinkhazard.org), the country ranks high on the water scarcity hazard scale. Several factors have aggravated the situation. Foremost of which is our rapidly growing population, which naturally leads to increased demand for domestic, agricultural, and commercial and industrial water supply.
Also, the country has been identified to be highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, wherein increasing temperatures and changing precipitation patterns affect water supply reliability, which brings me back to El Niño. Historically, this weather phenomenon has led to severe droughts affecting agriculture, water supply for household use, and geothermal power generation.
While we grapple with this dilemma, particularly in the midst of the scorching heat of the summer months, I believe the issue is far more pronounced in highly urbanized areas and drought-prone provinces and regions.
Metro Manila and Cebu, for example, have their own unique water supply challenges, as the two territories account for a combined 15 percent of the country’s total population. In neighboring province of Tacloban, Nestor Abrematea, in his FB account posted: “Ito ang Bagong Pilipinas, walang tubig sa Tacloban,” with accompanying pictures of an empty pail waiting for a water flow from a faucet.
Commenting on the withering grass of Santa Barbara's fairways, my caddy shared that his relatives in Cebu are also experiencing water supply problems. My research showed that Cebu authorities have officially declared a water crisis as 28 mountain barangays were under a state of calamity due to the scourging heat courtesy of El Niño.
Indeed, water is one basic commodity that we cannot do without. This condition stimulated the other half of my persona – of being a Chemist. Yes, Virgina, ‘am a chemist and a bit of a mathematician by education, thus, desalination comes to mind.
Given our country’s geographic characteristics, desalination technology has been an often-proposed and widely discussed solution to address water scarcity issues.
Since this technology primarily involves the removal of salt and other impurities from seawater or brackish water to produce freshwater suitable for drinking, agriculture, and commercial and industrial use, many experts believe that the Philippines is ideally suited to utilize and embrace desalination on a large-scale basis.
In terms of having actual proof-of-concept models to follow, there are many countries that the Philippines can reference for best practices. Singapore would be a prime case study, as it is a small island nation with limited freshwater resources.
Come to think of it, desalination enabled Singapore to greatly reduce its dependence on water importation, underground aquifers, and reservoirs. In particular, it helped alleviate pressure on its natural sources, which were previously strained due to overuse and depletion.
Can we aspire for desalination in enhancing water supply in the same manner we aspired for a subway as a means of leveling up our transportation system, which in the past was not on the horizon but is now under construction?
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