WATER experts around the world have been predicting that there will come a time that water will become more expensive than fuel. They also predict that those who control water will control the world.
China, for example, has already started a project with the government of Egypt and they are putting up series of dams and canals along the Nile River, diverting water to irrigate thousands of hectares of land.
The Nile River covers 11 African states. Beijing is a key partner for the construction of big dams, the expansion of irrigation systems and the building of transportation canals. The Chinese government is helping to calibrate the domestic economies of major African states. The projects are currently altering how these African states relate to each other. Recent conflict on water between Ethiopia and Egypt already ensued because of these projects.
Just recently, another private China’s ZPEC drilling company established a huge pumping project in the Western Desert near Egypt’s southern province of Minya.
They target to irrigate a 50,000-hectare sugar estate in the desert and will produce 36,000 tons of sugar beet per day.
China is thinking 20 years ahead of us. The Chinese leaders want to secure food and water for their people. This is not to mention that they are now leading in research and development for water.
According to the United Nations, Vietnam on the other hand has made considerable progress in improving water supply and sanitation in both urban and rural areas. The country’s rates of access to improved services are now significantly higher than those in neighboring countries.
Another country that is leading in water management is Cambodia, The Phonm Penh Water Supply Authority, a public sector entity, has solved their water problem. They are now recognized as one of the best water authorities in the world.
National University of Singapore’s Professor Tommy Koh said that the future of humanity depends upon the preservation of a healthy biosphere that includes pure water and clean air.
He said that many countries now need to pay good attention to water governance. Good to learn that there is a proposal in the Philippines for the creation of the Department of Water. This has been long overdue. Many countries have started early on and now they have already perfected the systems how to control and regulate their water.
This is indeed timely and necessary now that we are facing the next generation where the future of each and every country depends on how they control their water.
In Angeles City, many residents gave a thumbs up for Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin Jr. after he filed graft and corruption charges at the Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon against the manager and directors of the Angeles City Water District (ACWD) . The respondents were charged for violating Section 3 of Republic Act 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corruption Practices Act) for allowing A.M. Gatbonton Drilling Corporation to supply bulk water to the ACWD without Council approval.
According to Lazatin, they put the lives, health, and safety of the public at risk because the said pumping stations never went through the proper regulations imposed by the government,
You see a man with a heart there. Also you see a man who knows for a fact that regulation and conservation of water is crucial for the future of Angeles City.
Last month, the good mayor agreed in principle to revive the rehabilitation program for the rehabilitation of the Angeles Watershed, which is located in Barangay Sapang Bato and Barangay Margot. The mayor has forged an informal agreement with the Abacan River and Angeles Watershed Advisory Council (ARAW) led by Renato “Abong” S. Tayag Jr. The collaboration and cooperative campaign will be formally launched early next year,
The campaign for the rehabilitation of the Angeles watershed started long way back in the late-2000 when Tayag also led another NGO, the Advocacy for the Development of Central Luzon (ADCL). Several proposals were presented to the local development council of Angeles and were included in the comprehensive land use plan (CLUP) of the city. In 2013, the campaign for the rehabilitation of the watershed gained ground with the help of the Sibul Ning Aeta Foundation, to which Tayag is also a trustee. And since then, several private sector groups participated in the adopt-a-watershed campaign advocated by Tayag and his groups.
The Angeles Watershed is about 400-hectares. The water from the watershed streams down to the Abacan River, 12 kilometer stretch that transverses within the main settlements in Angeles.
For now, Angelenos must be thankful because Lazatin has vowed to give priority on the campaign and said he will fully support the programs and recommended policies of ARAW. The mayor recognizes the reality that the future of Angeles City relies on the abundance of clean and safe water.
Angeles is one of the 11 cities cited by JICA that will have water shortages by 2025. Among these includes Metro Manila, Cebu, Davao and Bohol.