BAGUIO CITY – City officials recently considered as a priority project of the local government the establishment of a rain water harvesting facility system within the city hall premises and other city government properties in line with the city’s water conservation and recycling program.
Under Resolution No. 489, series of 2023, local legislators stated that the local government continues to pursue proactive measures to mitigate the impact of possible water shortage in the city and it recognizes that there are existing threats to the availability of water resources in the city.
The council added that towards this end, the city explores all possibilities, employs strategies, methods and approaches to ensure that water is and will be available for the present and the future generations of inhabitants.
On March 17, 1989, Republic Act (RA) 6716 was enacted that required the construction of rain water collectors in every barangay to prevent floodings and ensure the continuous provision of clean water during the dry seasons.
Further, the law promotes rain water collectors as a mechanism to promote water conservation and control floodings in the different parts of the country.
On January 3, 2012, the Department of the Interior and Local government (DILG) issued Memorandum Circular No. 12-02 with the subject on the promotion of the construction of rainwater collectors in all barangays in the country to mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change.
On June 14, 2017, the DILG issued memorandum Circular No. 2017-76 outlining the policies and guidelines for the construction of rain water collectors in the different barangays.
The council claimed that the aforesaid issuances ensure inclusion by all local government units the promotion of the construction of rain water collection systems in their respective development plans and/or climate change action plans.
Likewise, it encourages all local government units on their public infrastructures, whenever applicable, shall pursue the construction of rainwater collectors and the use of collected rainwater for non-potable uses and that the said local governments shall be assisted by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) district offices in the construction of rainwater collection systems using the DPWH prototype design.
According to the council, the available water supply cannot cope up with rapid urbanization, rapid population and economic growth, degradation of the environment, and the impact of climate change.
Moreover, the council asserted that all the issues have become major local and global concerns that are of utmost urgency where the relevance of the issuances earlier cited is made more prominent with the felt negative impact of the water crisis and the need to take urgent mitigating actions.
The council pointed out that rain water is a viable source of water and that the rain water harvesting system is a method used to conserve water by collecting it from run-off from rooftop catchment, parks, roads, open grounds and other catchments and storing them for future reuse using simple techniques.
More importantly, the collected rain water is good for non-potable uses and ensures steady supply either for households or commercial and industrial uses.
