Water-critical Phl areas identified

The plan for water sustainability, she said, seeks to establish systematic and scientific management strategies for groundwater allocation as well as provide information for prioritizing aquifers.

The government is implementing a groundwater management plan to ensure sustainable water resources for future generations, as the list of areas in the Philippines that are running out of water is growing, according to an official of the National Water Resources Board (NWRB).

Susan Abaño, an engineer and chief of the policy and program division of NWRB, said several critical areas where water is running out have been identified. These include Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, Iloilo, Cavite, Angeles City and Mabalacat City, Baguio City, Bacolod City, Zamboanga City, Tagbilaran City and Batangas City.

Abaño, during a presentation at a forum on cities of the future, said these are not the only places where water is growing scarce, as more are expected to join the list. Given this, a groundwater management plan is being implemented for these “water-stressed areas,” she added.

The plan for water sustainability, she said, seeks to establish systematic and scientific management strategies for groundwater allocation as well as provide information for prioritizing aquifers, which are underground layers of rock that hold groundwater that can be drained by man-made wells.

It also calls for preparing groundwater vulnerability assessment maps to show where the areas prone to pollution are, said Abaño. This is so that gasoline stations, sewerage treatment plants and other polluting establishments can be prohibited in those places where the groundwater can become polluted.

It likewise demands designing a groundwater monitoring network to monitor water quality and quantity of the aquifers.

Also part of the plan is developing a groundwater management plan for a study area that considers integrated water resources management and future impacts of climate change. Results of the project will then be used as basis for policy, planning, programming and project implementation.

Most importantly, Abaño said, the NWRB is continuing to manage the allocation of Angat Dam, which is the main source of water supply for Metro Manila, home to 15 million people.

Short-term measures taken by the NWRB to manage levels at Angat include the following: allowed the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System to continue activating existing deep wells and establishing new wells to serve as standby water source; reactivated deep wells for vital services such as those for hospital use and firefighting purposes.