MANILA, Philippines — The government is diversifying its water sources to include recycling wastewater and constructing new infrastructure to ensure water security in the face of El Niño, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said Tuesday.
Environment Undersecretary Carlos Primo David said the government is trying to reduce its dependence on Angat Dam in Bulacan, which is the main source of water for Metro Manila and neighboring provinces.
David noted the water level in Angat dropped to 178.8 meters—below the dam’s water 180-meter minimum operating level.
“One strategy is to diversify our sources of water and not to rely too much on Angat. There have been a couple of efforts over the last months to increase our sources of water,” said David, who is in charge of the newly-created Water Resources Management Office.
David cited the Kaliwa Dam project as one of the government’s medium-term strategies to solve the capital region’s water problem. Kaliwa Dam is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. El Niño is projected to last until early next year.
Some members of the Dumagat-Remontado indigenous group have expressed concern that the P12.2-billion dam project—which will be funded by a loan from China—will submerge their ancestral domain, threaten their livelihoods and destroy their cultural heritage.
David added that the government—along with water concessionares Manila Water and Maynilad—is also implementing short-term fixes such as tapping Laguna de Bay as a water source and treating wastewater.
'Conserve water'
The government has issued several directives to government offices, barangay officials and residential managers, and reminders to the public to conserve water.
David said the government does not want a repeat of the 2019 El Niño phenomenon that caused Angat Dam’s water level to plunge to record lows, causing a water shortage in the capital region and nearby areas.
“We’re not in that situation yet. But we are fasttracking interventions so we do not reach that situation,” David said. “Hopefully, the rain comes sooner or later.”
The WRMO is also helping plug leaks in government agencies that had water billions amounting to millions.
David said that the water bills of some government agencies amounted to P15 to P17 million. He noted that some of these offices are compounds composed of dozens of buildings, and that their buildings have undetected leaks.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said Monday that the DENR, Department of Public Works and Highways and Department of Agriculture are working together to mitigate the effects of El Niño.