ILOILO City – The city government plans to construct rainwater harvesting facilities in barangays with problem accessing water or with water shortage due to the El Niño phenomenon.
Mayor Jerry P. Treñas said these rainwater harvesting facilities will come with a purification system so provide potable water to residents.
Ten barangays will be the initial beneficiaries.
The city government will work with the Metro Pacific Iloilo Water (MPIW), the city’s largest water distributor, for additional rainwater harvesting facilities to more barangays through the latter’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) program.
Building rainwater harvesting facilities is one of several measures of the city government to address an impending water crisis due to the El Niño discussed during Treñas’ recent meeting with MPIW, Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD), bulk water suppliers Metro Iloilo Bulk Water and Balibago Waterways, city councilors, and district representatives.
MPIW assured Treñas it has enough water supply but is looking for additional wells in various Iloilo towns as water sources.
“Pasalig sila nga ang epekto sang El Niño will be minimal. Kon ano gid man, mapabalo sila sa city council and sa city government. May mga lihok kita nga obrahon para magdeklarar sang imminent calamity,” said Treñas.
At the moment, the city mayor said, there is no need for such a declaration. But he acknowledged receiving information that some city residents were already complaining of water shortage.
“Ginabantayan naton. We will be constantly monitoring the situation. Just in case there is a need for a declaration of a state of imminent calamity we will be able to do so,” he added.
Aside from wells, MPIW and Balibago Water will be adding injection points and more water distribution tankers; they currently have a combined 25 tankers.
Meanwhile, City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office head Donna Magno said there is also a need to raise public awareness on the responsible utilization of water.
“Indi nga sagi lang kita demand sa mga (water) suppliers naton nga i-increase ang supply and yet ang aton paggamit gapinataka langn. Ang mga conservation tips wala naton ginasapak,” Magno lamented.
The city government is encouraging every household to practice collecting rainwater and conserving water.
“Whatever little water we can catch during the wet days saluon na naton para sa panahon nga tag-ilinit magamit naton ang tubig nga ini,” said Magno.
The city government has an existing rainwater retention facility at the La Paz district plaza and another one will be established in Jaro plaza.
Other new infrastructure projects of the city government are also equipped with cisterns like the Iloilo City Action and Response (ICARE) centers. Non-government organizations have implemented the same projects in the city.
The city government is implementing the Rainwater Collection System (RWCS) to collect rainwater through pipes connected to the roofs of schools, offices, barangay halls, plazas, and gyms.
The accumulated rainwater is distributed to toilets, washrooms and/or other facilities to be used by residents through pipes attached to the water-collecting structure. This initiative also helps address water shortage and promotes water conservation.
Last month, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration announced the start of El Niño, which will persist until the first quarter of 2024.
El Niño is a natural, cyclical climate pattern that causes hot weather and reduced rainfall. Compounded with the effects of global warming, it could trigger localized drought.
Magno said as early as last month Treñas created Task Force on El Niño to lead the city government’s efforts to address the adverse effect of the weather phenomenon./PN
