LWUA braces for dry spell

MANILA, Philippines - The Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) moves to address the worsening effect of El Niño in the provinces, asking all water districts nationwide to prepare action plans to mitigate the situation which is expected to worsen until the second quarter of next year.

LWUA has already issued a memorandum circular advising and enjoining all water districts particularly in Northern and Central Luzon, parts of Southern Luzon, Bicol region, Western and Central Visayas and Mindanao to adopt and undertake measures to address the potential adverse effects of the weather phenomenon.

LWUA chief Andres F. Ibarra orders all water districts to provide a sustained information campaign on the ill effects of El Niño, have an early plan on water rationing as needed, strict monitoring on water pilferages, provide hydraulic modeling if capable and formulate a procurement plan for the required facilities and equipment.

Ibarra also requested all water districts to provide surface and groundwater historical data on affected municipalities, statistical data on affected household/population, extent of water shortages and description of best and worst local scenarios in their service areas.

Most places in the Philippines are expected to have “below normal” to “way below normal” rainfall due to El Niño, meaning a 60 to 80 percent drop in rainfall. The country normal gets between 2,000 to 4,000 millimeters (79-157) inches of rain a year.

“El Niño” refers to the abnormal warming of surface ocean waters in the eastern tropical sections of the Pacific Ocean every three to five years.

Ibarra assured LWUA has started building up a comprehensive database to further improve the capability to deal with El Niño. He also reassured all water districts LWUA is working closely with other government agencies to minimize the expected water shortage now being experienced in different parts of the country.

Communities should practice water conservation measures by avoiding excessive use of water. Households may reuse water, gather and store rainwater for daily chores, use water dipper instead of shower when taking a bath, turn off faucets when not in use, and immediately repair leaking pipes among others to save water.