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Friday, June 30, 2006
Peña: A drop in the bucket
By Rox Peña
ONE of my daily tasks at home is to empty the plastic pail that collects the water drips from our air-conditioner. It is easier to just let the water trickle down the drain, but I hate to see the precious liquid go to waste. I use it for watering the garden plants and for cleaning my car. The extra effort is worth it.
I observed that during hot weather when humidity is high, the bucket is filled to the brim after about 6 hours. Most of the time, the pail is at least 75 percent full. Imagine the water that can be saved if all air-conditioner users will spend a little effort collecting those drips.
That’s what they do at the regional office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in the City of San Fernando. Several drums are lined up along the corridors to catch the water dripping from their air conditioners, which is likewise used for watering plants. It’s literally a drop in the bucket, but when it accumulates, it’s a lot.
Indeed, government should take the lead in conservation efforts. In China recently, the government has ordered civil servants to do without air-conditioning, elevators and cars for a day as part of an energy saving awareness campaign.
The government’s seven million employees were targeted because they could serve as an example to others, and because they use so much energy. They consume about 5 percent of the country’s total electricity a year, which is equal to the electricity consumed annually by 780 million farmers.
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In the small island state of Singapore, water is a precious resource. The country gets half of its water supply from Malaysia. Rainfall is their other major source. About half of Singapore is being utilized as catchments for rainwater collection. With new projects to build more reservoirs, drains and canals, the catchment area will be expanded to about two-thirds of the island.
To wean itself off from dependence to imported water, Singapore is searching for alternative sources. It turned to water recycling. Their public utilities are producing NEWater, the brand name for the treated wastewater that has undergone stringent purification and treatment process using advanced technologies. It currently contributes 1percent to Singapore’s water requirements but plans are underway to increase it to 2.5 percent by 2015.
For Singaporeans, no effort is too small as long as it reduces water consumption. Recently, citizens are urged to take quick showers, which could help save around nine liters of water a day. Water volunteer groups visit homes and help residents install water-saving devices. New or renovated buildings are required to install dual flush cisterns by the end of 2009.
Every drop counts.
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I got a quick response last Saturday on my topic about planting native trees. Jovy Macapagal, from the office of Presidential Assistant for Northern Rene Diaz, called to inform me that what I wrote is very timely, and is precisely what they plan to do. In fact, she thought my write up was about their upcoming activity.
Their office is spearheading a massive tree planting activity in Mount Arayat on July 8. They will be planting bananas, sweet tamarind and calamandrin, which were donated by the Central Luzon State University and the Pampanga Agricultural College. Students, government officials and other groups will be joining the event.
Mabuhay po kayo!
(June 30, 2006 issue)
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