No water-saving in dry and in wet seasons?

There's no question whatsoever that now until December is a rainy season. Most likely, weather-wise, it could reach beyond, for the La Niña phenomenon to last. To playful children, their tune-bite may be "rain, rain go away, come another day", to save their outdoors playing time.

Surprisingly of late, in the Maynilad environs, despite flooding and rain water almost everywhere, some areas were threatened with shortage of tap water. Caloocan, Malabon, Las Piñas, Valenzuela, and Quezon City had been forecast with waterless days due to a main valve repair of the Angat Dam, the water source. Also surprising is - in spite of heavy rainfalls - the giant dam has not yet reached its normal level of 180 feet as its present level is only 175 feet.

Saving water while abundant, appears not a priority among households. It only becomes a belated necessity when water supply is scarce or runs dry. The consumers feel sorry in "pagmahay" as they suffer in thirst, and their lands and farms wield almost nothing to live by.

Wanting is simple foresight and work ethics, that anticipating the dry spell or El Niño simple projects, like, cisterns to save rainfall, a few drums with covers, and private or cooperative artesian wells, have to be built. On the government side down the barangay and sitio level, drilling of as many public artesian wells can help a lot when dry season comes. One main defect is the almost 100% dependence on one water source, like, the MCWD in Metro Cebu, that when its taps get "dehydrated", the alternative is absent or lacking.

In farming villages as in Cabadiangan, Compostela and Liloan, and perhaps in other towns and barrios, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) has tremendously helped the irrigation needs of farms, at affordable costs. Ergo, the NIA projects have to be carried on and expended.

One had also noticed during the last El Niño, that most of the plains in the 1st Congressional District, like, Sibonga, Carcar, and up to Talisay City, the ricefields along the highway, were lush with growing rice plants, evidence of an irrigation system including Argao of the 2nd District.

In Carcar City, obviously Congressman Eduardo "Eddiegul" R. Gullas, and perhaps, then Congressman Jose "Dodong" R. Gullas during his one term, must have had initiated, or effectively maintained, the Can-asojan River dam as principal source of the irrigation system. Presumably, smaller waterways and tributaries must have been also harnessed with water weirs or smaller dams.

Likewise lately, Congressman Eddiegul has committed to put up a water reservoir in barangay Balud in San Fernando. This project shall service not only Balud, but also neighboring barrios. Similar public water projects, say, NIA agri-irrigation, and more barrio cooperative artesian wells, ought to be built before the onset of El Niño and, replicated in all LGUs. Better still, the many waterfalls and springs in other congressional districts ought to be harnessed for irrigation, industrial, and household uses, not just to promote tourism.

In Cebu City there's the 1999 ordinance requiring the building of rain water catchments which, unfortunately, appears unheeded by many. Even a cursory observation reveals that many houses - not mere shacks or houses of light materials - don't have rain water catchments at all. Not even improvised water tanks, or drums/barrels as rain reservoir.

And in Cebu City mountain barrios that are dependent for their livelihood on flower cultivation and varying vegetable crops, it appears that they principally rely for water supply on their individual rubber or plastic hoses. These hoses slither like endless snakes from some springs up the mountain or hill somewhere. But when a long dry spell occurs, these slithering dark rubber hoses become useless. Perhaps, some existing concrete cisterns as water catchments have to be increased in number through cooperative efforts among the inhabitants with the barangay officials.

The point is that in times of abundance of water, rain-saving devices and projects have to be undertaken. It's a huge loss of water potential that excess water just runs off to waste.

* * *

Email: [email protected]