Water recycling

The dry season is over and the rain has started to refresh our parched land. But we are not out of the woods. All that rain lately isn’t doing any good yet. Angat water level is still low. It will take three strong water heavy typhoons to fill up Angat to safe levels. The reality is, we cannot take water availability for granted. It is far from being an inexhaustible resource.

The ABS-CBN News in-depth report on water pointed out that on average, “each resident in Metro Manila consumes 150 liters (40 gallons) of water daily. A rise in temperature triggers an increase in water consumption as people seek ways to cool down during the hot weather.”

Over the past decade, the Philippines experienced three El Niño events. The longest of these lasted for 17 months, from February 2015 until June 2016, followed by another in 2019 from February until July. The need for an effective Plan B is clear. When El Niño hit the country in 2019, the water level in Angat significantly dropped.

As such, we should all learn to recycle water. It was the late Bobby Ongpin who explained to me how they treat water in Balesin Island. In any island development, he explained to me, the main challenge is water supply. So, what did he do?

The concrete runway in Balesin’s airport serves as a catchment for rainwater. It collects over 200 million liters a year into man-made lakes. The harvested water is processed into potable water via ultrafiltration, and is then distributed around the island. Used water is processed aerobically and anaerobically in modular sewage treatment plants, producing Class A greywater. This reclaimed water is used for the island’s landscaping during the summer months. That’s how Balesin has become self-sufficient in water, something unique among island resorts.

Balesin’s water strategy sounds like Singapore’s. The Singaporeans do not waste a drop. The whole island of Singapore is a catchment for rainwater. That means the rain water that drains from the streets ends up in a reservoir and it is recycled together with sewage or used water and treated into ultra-clean, high-grade reclaimed water. That assures Singapore’s water supply.

According to the World Bank, gaps in access to water supply and sanitation are among the greatest risks to economic progress, poverty eradication and sustainable development. Investors will skip us unless we are able to assure them of water availability, a critical consideration for setting up semiconductor manufacturing and other factories.

People outside Metro Manila suffer a serious water problem. Not only is there an absence of piped water the way we know it in NCR, the cost is a big burden for households. I am told that the going rate for delivered water per truck in Baguio is equivalent to P250 per cubic meter compared to P42.26 for Manila Water and P47.57 for Maynilad. Drinking water is a different thing and would cost even more.

Where there is piped water, the service is intermittent and expensive whether supplied by water districts or by private water utility companies. There is not much incentive for LGU officials to make things better because many are involved in the business of water truck deliveries. Local water districts are also controlled by LGU officials. The proposed Department of Water has its work cut out for the next few years, or decades.

Back in NCR, our taps could run dry in a few years unless we are able to get new fresh water sources like the Kaliwa River in the Sierra Madre. Indeed, Maynilad Water is cleaning water from Laguna de Bay but it is an expensive process because it is dirtier near Muntinlupa. The quality of the lake water is better further away where Manila Water has its water treatment plant.

Then again, recycling water is probably the way to go. According to the World Bank, the circular economy approach of reusing treated wastewater has potential benefits for millions of people. It can provide a reliable water source for industrial, agricultural and – occasionally – potable uses, often at lower investment costs and with lower energy use than alternative sources, such as desalination.

Reusing water is nothing new. The World Bank observed: “In London, a significant portion of the drinking water is indirectly recycled through the River Thames, the main water source for the British capital…  In other places, reused water can provide a valuable water source for key industries, reducing the demand on limited water resources. Power plants, refineries, mills, and factories, including the auto industry, can use recycled water.”

The World Bank’s International Finance Corp. or IFC estimates that the cost of producing non-potable recycled water can be as low as $0.32 per cubic meter, and potable water $0.45, compared with more than $0.50 for desalination. The WB’s investment arm, the IFC is helping address barriers to investment in wastewater treatment and reuse, while also taking into account affordability concerns.

With all this condominium building frenzy, our building code should be updated to require dual piping of water, a system that Hong Kong had been using since the 1950s.Under this system, two completely separate water piping systems are used to deliver water to the user… one for flushing toilets and the other for drinking.

Now that new residential, commercial and industrial buildings are required to have their own sewage treatment plants or STPs onsite, the next step is to require dual piping as well. The grey water produced by its STP can be channeled for uses that do not require purification for potable drinking quality. Then again too, if push comes to shove, that grey water can be further purified as they do in Singapore, to potable quality. Right now, that grey water is simply disposed of in our polluted waterways. Sayang.

So many things to do. So little time. So much vested interests. So much bureaucratic inertia.

Boo Chanco’s email address is [email protected]. Follow him on X @boochanco.