Lawmaker: Congress should help develop water sources

THE House of Representatives should craft a law that would ensure the sustainability of water supply in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, a lawmaker said, as he warned of a possible shortage of potable water in the near future.

In House Resolution 2619, Las Pinas City Representative Mark Villar urged the House committees on appropriations and Metro Manila development to conduct an inquiry on the need to develop water sources based on the study recently conducted by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

"The objective of this measure is to maintain a continuous supply of water and to craft relevant legislation to ensure sustainability of water supply for the welfare of Metropolitan Manila residents," the neophyte legislator said.

Citing the "Good Practice in Urban Water Management," a study conducted by the ADB, Villar said Metro Manila and other provinces should tap other sources of water to prepare in a situation like a long drought and earthquakes which could damage the dams, which are the primary sources of water.

Villar said water management is the activity of planning, developing, distributing and managing the optimum use of water resources.

"The presumed abundance of water as a resource, given our climate and geographical location, should not make the government complacent as the progress of industry and the massive urbanization continues to threaten the supply of potable water in Metro Manila and other urban zones," he said.

Villar also cited data from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Master Plan on Water Resources Management in the Philippines, which says that only 1,907 cubic meters of fresh water would be available to each person each year, making the Philippines second to the lowest among Southeast Asian countries with available fresh water.

The National Water Regulatory Board has identified nine water-critical urbanized areas where water is consumed intensively -- Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, Davao, Baguio City, Angeles City, Bacolod City, Iloilo City, Cagayan de Oro City, and Zamboanga City.

"The challenge left to the country is for the government to develop new sources of water supply, which is capable of sustaining better and cleaner water supply for the people's consumption not only in Metro Manila but in the entire country," Villar said. (Kathrina Alvarez/Sunnex)