CAGAYAN de Oro City Councilor Teodulfo Lao Jr. said the City Council is planning to create an ordinance that will require subdivisions and building owners to install a rainwater harvesting system.

According to Lao, chairman of the committee on public utilities, the rainwater harvesting system will be beneficial to both the environment and the households, particularly the upstream communities.

"Kasagaran man gud karon labi nang didto sa mga upstream areas, wala kay tubig, so nganong di gamiton ang tubig sa ulan, di ba? Imong tigumon, magbutang ka og dako nga reservoir, i-recycle," Lao said.

(Those who are in upstream areas usually don't have water, so why not use rainwater? You can collect it, put a reservoir, then recycle it.)

"Atong buhatan og ordinance. We will have our ordinance para gyud na ma-compel gyud ang atong subdivisions ug kining mga building owners nga naa gyud nang rain harvesting system," he added.

(We will create an ordinance to compel subdivisions and building owners to have a rain harvesting system.)

Councilor Edgar Cabanlas, for his part, agreed with Lao's proposal, saying subdivision developers should be required to install rainwater harvesting systems.

"I-incorporate kana nato sa atong gihimo karon nga amendment and revision sa atong ordinance nga nag create sa Chudd (City Housing and Urban Development Department)," Cabanlas said.

(We will incorporate that in our the amended ordinance that creates the Chudd.)

"Kining mga requirement sa atong mga subdivision developers nga kun duna may mga subdivision nga i-develop itukod dinhi sulod sa atong dakbayan, kinahanglan duna silay mga rainwater catch basin," he added.

Cabanlas said the rainwater stored in the catch basin can be used to water plants, for cleaning the toilets, and for car wash.

"Maka save kita sa tubig. At the same time, maka save ta sa environment," he said.