Rain harvest eyed to avert water shortage

MANILA, Philippines - To help avert potential serious water shortage in the next years, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said there is a need to intensify promotion of rain harvesting methods, including catching rainwater through house gutter or alulod for non-potable household use.?               

The DENR made the proposal during the conclusion of a series of meetings in preparation for a multisectoral water summit to be held this year.?               

The pre-summit meetings were geared toward developing a national water roadmap to be presented to President Duterte during the actual summit.?               

DENR Assistant Secretary for policy and planning service Corazon Davis said the department, through the National Water Resources Board (NWRB), has committed to come up with strategic solutions to the looming water crisis in the country.?               

“Although the Philippines is known for its abundant water resources, we are now experiencing scarcity of water due to rapid urbanization, increasing population, indiscriminate use and management of waste, and water pollution,” Davis told pre-summit meeting participants from various government agencies and the private sector.?               

While water scarcity has been a long-standing issue, Davis said “our ancestors have always managed to find a way around it” and one of the practical and reliable methods they used at home was the alulod water collection system.?             

Under this traditional system, people harvest rainwater by simply placing a drum or basin at the end of the alulod for domestic uses like flushing the toilet, watering the garden and washing clothes. It does not cover supply for drinking, food preparation or personal hygiene.?             

“Modern Filipino homes may be worth re-designing using alulods again,” Davis said. “In the old days, the old folks used alulod to collect rainwater and divert it into the banga or the tapayan where it was stored for future use.”?             

This proposal is consistent with one of the recommendations during the pre-summit meetings, which is to ensure increased rainwater harvesting through strong and innovative government regulations.?             

NWRB executive director Sevillo David Jr., meanwhile, said there is a need to review the government’s water catchment strategies.?             

“We will have to increase our strategies so that rainwater can be useful, instead of letting it flow back to the sea. Once we have the water stored in the catchment, people can use the water in a number of beneficial ways,” David pointed out.?             

The DENR has been pushing for the establishment of smaller water impounding dams in upstream portions of the country to serve as an immediate solution to flood disasters and to enable irrigation in downstream areas during the dry season.?             

The pre-summit meetings were organized by the NWRB in partnership with Congress, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and various government agencies including the Office of the Cabinet Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Department of Public Works and Highways.?             

According to the Annual Poverty Indicators Survey in 2014, 15 million Filipinos still rely on unsafe water for drinking, cooking and hygiene needs. In May 2016, a total of 18 provinces remained under a state of calamity due to El Niño, which caused severe water shortages and reportedly destroyed P6 billion worth of crops.