WHILE Manila is suffering from acute water supply problem, we in Metro Cebu seem to be thanking God that the same is not happening to us here. At least not yet, comparably.
But thanking God is not enough and not even prayers can readily remedy a distressing problem such as water shortage if and when such forbidding dilemma befalls us.
It behooves on us all, therefore, not to take things for granted about our seemingly ample supply of water because the adverse effect of climate change, low rainfall, high population density and over allocation of water supply are becoming footprints of how miserable life would be without government intervention.
Water security should be the concern of government, both national and local, to include all citizens and every existing public and private organizations. We have common interest to have the ability to access sufficient quantities of water to maintain adequate standards of food and goods production, proper sanitation, sustainable health care and all other benefits it could contribute to humans and animals.
People should understand that the most common threat to water security is water scarcity. There are few resources, if any, more vital to life than water. Whether it be drinking water, or water in our homes for bathing, flushing, brushing out teeth and cleaning dishes, not one day goes by that we don’t need and use water.
Needless to say that unlike before when climate was predictable and where there was an abundance of water supply that would sustain us through the summer months, now potable water is getting to be a necessity and no longer a luxury to be just wasted and washed down the drain.
It is along this looming bleak scenario that I am writing this article and complimenting the National Water Resource Board (NWRB), a government agency that is responsible for all the water resources in the Philippines, for approving the Policy Guidelines for Metro Cebu, under Board Resolution 004-0507, where, among other things, there will be a moratorium on the acceptance and processing of water permit applications in portions of the areas of Consolacion, Liloan, Cebu City, Mandaue City and the whole area of Mactan Island, where the condition of the groundwater has reached critical level.
Another threat to our water security, which gratefully NWRB is addressing also by regulating all water-related activities, is the rising salinity level in said areas due to salt water intrusion. Not only is salt water intrusion exacerbated by sea-level rise but its most common causes, it is said, is the unregulated and/or excessive groundwater extraction by unscrupulous people for different money-making purposes.
Being a resident of Mandaue City, I could not be more appreciative to NWRB‘s effort in upholding its agency’s vision and mission for the good of the country and its people. -Jesus Sievert