AS WATER is life and life is water, the government leaders and stakeholders led by Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson and Negros Occidental 3rd District Rep. Jose Francisco B. Benitez huddled yesterday at the Negros Residences, formerly Captel, and exchanged ideas and development plans to address the burgeoning concern on the water in Negros Occidental.
The said water summit will run until today.
Benitez began these talks on November 14, 2019, in a pre-summit attended by the water districts, national agencies, the local business community and civil society organizations wherein they discussed the pressing issues and concerns on water security in the province.
They have identified specific areas of concern such as water supply and quality, sanitation and sewerage, sustainability and water governance.
Benitez said that while the 3rd District has not yet reached a level of inadequacy in the supply of water, they still need to act collectively so that the problem can be addressed holistically.
“We have water supply but the distribution is the problem. If there is an advent of El Niño (draught), we will lack water to supply for the needs of the farmers. If there are a lot of tourists in the highlands of Patag and Lantawan in Silay City where tourist hubs are currently thriving, then we will need additional water supply,” he said
He said the summit aims to come up with a roadmap that in case there are plans and passage of ordinances, it can be done hastily.
“The problem on water can be felt handily but it will get worse if we will not act ahead. Getting the agencies together can help us move promptly, given the fact that how many aspects of our lives are touched by water. We think about it holistically and hopefully, we can have a better resource management,” he said.