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Former DPWH chief backs creation of Dept. of Water

By Aerol John Pateña

April 1, 2019, 9:17 pm

MANILA -- A former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) secretary is supporting calls to create a Department of Water to efficiently manage the country's water supply amid the current El Nino situation.

Former DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson said a Department of Water will lead to the implementation of an integrated water resource management program in the country.

“I strongly suggest that we advocate the creation of the Department of Water for more coherent long-term plans and programs to manage our country’s biggest renewable resource next to air and the sun,” said Singson, who is currently the President of Meralco PowerGen Corp., in a forum on disaster resiliency held late last week.

He noted that there are around 30 government agencies related to water including the National Water Resources Board (NWRB), National Irrigation Administration (NIA), Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS), Flood Monitoring Center, and the National Power Corporation (Napocor), all of which are under different departments.

“If we can properly manage our water resources well, we can avoid loss of lives and millions of damages to property due to flooding and landslides; avoid water supply crisis that is being experienced in Metro Manila; have enough water to irrigate farmlands and maximize renewable hydropower plants,” Singson said.

The former DPWH chief likewise urged business establishments to create water catchment basins that will store excess water volume from major rivers in the country to reduce flooding during the rainy season.

“For the private sector and property developers please put up your own water retarding basins. You simply have to identify areas where you can retard the excess water and flow it back when there is already carrying capacity of the rivers. Retard the amount of water that flows in those waterways so that they don’t cause too much damage,” Singson said.

He also called for the building of small dams in the country to manage the flow of water upstream along the rivers and store these for irrigation and hydropower supply.

Singson was appointed as water supply czar by former President Benigno Aquino III in 2011 to address the situation of the water supply following severe flooding which occurred due to a series of typhoons that hit the country during that time. He was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Maynilad Water Services before serving as DPWH Secretary from June 30, 2010 to June 30, 2016.

For his part, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) Chairman Emeritus Francis Chua also expressed his support to the proposed Department of Water as this will ensure improved water services in the country.

 “We need to have proper water management in the country to ensure stable water supply,” Chua said in an interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Monday.

He lauded the Manila Water for taking steps to mitigate the impact of the water supply shortage among its customers in Metro Manila particularly the waiving of its water fees.

“We are pushing for the water concessionaires to further improve their water services to consumers,” Chua said.

Manila Water has earlier announced that it is implementing a one-time voluntary and one-time bill waiver scheme on the water consumption of its customers in March which shall be reflected in their April bill.

The water concessionaire has also implemented technical solutions to help stabilize the water supply distribution regime across the East zone of Metro Manila.

Meanwhile, the labor group Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) urged employers to liberalize their tardiness rules amid the water crisis being experienced in parts of Metro Manila.

Employers and business owners should exercise more patience with their employees who report late in work due to the inconvenience caused by the water supply shortage, according to TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay.

Malacanang has earlier thumbed down the proposal to create a Department of Water as it believes that the water supply shortage in Metro Manila remains manageable.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo suggested the establishment of water reservoirs in all cities and provinces where water is collected and kept in quantity, exploiting deep well to access groundwater.

Earlier, Cabinet Secretary Karlos Nograles said the draft executive order (EO) is being finalized and will soon be submitted to President Duterte for his input and approval.

The proposed EO includes a provision that transfers the National Water Resources Board from the supervision of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to the supervision of the Office of the President. (PNA)

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