Baguio City faces dry summer as water sources decline
BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — Water sources in Baguio City are declining, prompting the National Water Resources Board to promise to look into the proliferation of illegal deep wells that may be contributing to the decline.
"They promised to look into the matter of illegal deep wells and have them removed but no timeline was mentioned," Baguio Water District General Manager Salvado Royeca said.
Royeca, along with Mayor Benjamin Magalong, met with NWRB officials headed by Executive Director Sevillo David Jr. to take up proposals for water management, inlcuding the possibility of granting BWD regulatory power over the city's water resources and private deep wells.
Royeca said all the recommendations were discussed and they are hopeful for positive feedback from the board.
The board's concern was trained on unauthorized deep wells that have been determined to be among the causes of the depletion of the recharge areas of the city's underground water sources.
The city is seen to experience acute water shortage this summer due to the dwindling yield from underground sources and a shortfall in water harvesting in some of the city’s facilities due to insufficient rainfall.
Royeca said BWD adopted measures like tapping more sources and streamlining water supply schedule to ensure continuous supply until the rainy season.
However, the public is being urged to help conserve water in their homes and offices. "This water shortage is not just a possibility but is something inevitable and we all have to do something," Magalong said.
Amid the possibility of water shortage, the BWD issued water conservation tips to include:
- Taking bucket baths or short showers and using a bucket or dipper and discouraging children from playing with water
- Turning off faucets while brushing teeth
- Using basins in doing laundry to avoid overflow of water
- Using washing machines with full loads only
- Recycling water by reusing laundry water for flushing toilets, cleaning bathroom or washing cars
- Practicing rainwater harvesting in homes
- And reporting or repairing leaks immediately
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