Aurora eyed as RP's next water supply zone

MANILA, Philippines - Despite the threat of a water shortage caused by the lack of rainfall and lowering water dam levels, the government remains confident it will soon find the solution to address this concern as it eyes water-rich Aurora province as the country’s water supply and services capital.

Sen. Edgardo J. Angara, chairman of the Congressional Committee on Science and Technology and Engineering (COMSTE), said while some parts of the country may experience water shortage, there are regions with more than enough water supply.

The lawmaker cited Aurora province as capable of supplying water for the province with enough to spare to cater to its neighboring provinces’ water needs.

“Aurora is blessed to have a rich bounty of natural resources. It has five water districts. What the province needs to realize to become the north’s water supply capital are the proper technologies that will effectively realize its potential to sustain its own water supply needs and cater to the same needs of neighboring provinces in the region,” Angara stated.

Because water is unevenly distributed throughout the archipelago, COMSTE has come up with a number of initiatives to help mitigate the crisis that may affect regions and provinces hit by water shortage. The Aurora Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) is test-piloting COMSTE initiatives in the Province.

Angara also believes that COMSTE initiatives will also benefit the province’s economy once these are implemented as these will provide more employment opportunities in the Aurora eco-zone. In fact, a job fair is among COMSTE’s initial programs that will be implemented in the province soon.

Angara and the local government of Aurora are intent on garnering investments in water services into the province from local and foreign sources that will maximize available water resources to Aurora and its adjacent provinces, and even reach a market in Metro Manila for bottled water.

Angara is keenly pushing for the development of Aurora province as the water capital of the north. He believes that, in the long run, Aurora will be the key that will provide the solutions to the water supply needs of Northern Luzon.

“Proper research on and analysis of the current state of Aurora’s water resources will lead to the acquisition of knowledge on what infrastructures are most suited for distribution and what water technologies may best rehabilitate the waste waters of the province. This will ultimately lead to the realization of Aurora’s potentials as the country’s water supply and services investment hub,” Angara explained.