‘Threat of El Niño real; conserve, recycle water’

MANILA, Philippines — National Water Resources Board (NWRB) executive director Sevillo David Jr. yesterday said the threat of El Niño is real, as he urged the public to conserve and practice recycling of water.

“That is real. According to PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration), there is now 80 percent chance for the El Niño to be felt before the end of the year and it is possible that we will experience El Niño until next year, especially during the first quarter,” David said.

David echoed the call of Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) Deputy Administrator Jose Dorado Jr. to Metro Manila mayors to pass ordinances to regulate the use of water in golf courses, car wash and swimming pools to address the dwindling water level at Angat Dam.

“In the event we need to manage the supply of water, these are the industries that we will recommend to limit the use of water,” David said.

Dorado has said that a golf course uses at least 700 to 1,400 cubic meters of water per month, while each carwash spends 60 to 100 cubic meters per month, enough to supply the water requirement of 2,000 household customers.

“With or without El Niño, we need to conserve water every day as the water supply is not unlimited. Our water requirement also increases because of population development,” David said.

According to David, residents should recycle to help conserve water from Angat Dam.

“Our first suggestion is to check whether there are leaks in the households. Let’s stop wasting water while brushing our teeth, use a glass, when washing our hands, make sure the water from the faucet is not being wasted,” David said.

David noted that the water level of Angat Dam decreases daily by at least 0.3 meters or 30 centimeters.

“Because of the high temperature, the evaporation of water also contributes to the decline of the level of Angat Dam.”

As of 6 a.m. on Saturday, the water level of Angat Dam was at 195.51 meters, compared to its previous measure of 195.81 meters. The dam’s water level is still 8.98 meters before it reaches its rule curve elevation of 186.53 meters or the level of the dam to be able to fulfill its functions.

David said the government prohibits the use of deep wells.

“We do not allow the use of deep wells as it threatens the environment. At present, we only allow the MWSS to tap deep wells for standby supply,” he explained.

David said President Marcos has issued a directive to various agencies to address the threat of El Niño.

PAGASA said the El Niño phenomenon could start in the next two to three months.

According to the weather bureau, the severe effect of the drought will start in December 2023 until April 2024.

The state agency said it only expects one tropical cyclone in April; one to two each in May and June and two to three each in July, August and September 2023.

“[Marcos] ordered the creation of an El Niño team led by the DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government) to underscore the importance of the role of the local government units to prepare for the threats of the El Niño. Based on the projection, the rainfall in June, July, August is still normal. We hope that our dams can recover, but we are monitoring the last quarter and early part of 2024 as it’s again a summer season. We need to have enough stocks of water,” David said.

Angat Dam supplies more than 90 percent of Metro Manila’s potable water needs and provides for the irrigation needs of 25,000 hectares of farmlands in Bulacan and Pampanga.