By Brian Jules Campued
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Monday urged local government units (LGUs) to mitigate the effects of El Niño by adopting water-saving measures.
Acting chair Romando Artes said the MMDA will distribute basic designs for rainwater catchment systems to the 17 LGUs in Metro Manila in support of their respective water-saving policies.
According to Artes, two MMDA-designed harvesting tanks were installed in Tripa de Gallina linear park in Makati City in October last year – one was installed near a public toilet and another in a pocket garden.
Aside from the establishment of catchment areas, the Metro Manila Council also laid down several measures to address the effects of El Niño such as reducing water use in the maintenance of golf courses and car washing, recycling of wastewater or “gray water” for watering plants, fixing leaks in water pipes, and developing water filtration systems.
Meanwhile, Artes assured that the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage Systems said there would be no water rationing and water interruptions in March since there is sufficient water allotted to water concessionaires.
However, he reminded the public that having enough water supply does not mean wasting water resources.
“We need to continuously and consistently save water so that in the coming months, during summer, we will still have a steady supply of it,” Artes said.
The Metro Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council will meet the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management officers to further discuss specific El Niño mitigation measures for each city. – avds
