EDITORIAL - Conservation as a way of life

El Niño is likely to be particularly bad this year, meteorologists warned last week, with the impact of the weather phenomenon expected to be felt in the final quarter of the year and possibly continuing until the first quarter of 2016. The public is being urged to conserve water as concessionaires warn that water supply is likely to be reduced.

The warning may not register as El Niño brings heavier than usual rains this typhoon season and floods inundate many areas. But state meteorologists warn that once the rainy season is over, the nation could experience an unusually dry period in the last quarter of the year, with some areas in Luzon seeing a reduction in rainfall of up to 80 percent.

That will be bad news for agricultural lands. Farms need steady irrigation to secure the nation’s food supply. In areas that rely on hydropower for electricity, a prolonged drought also means blackouts. The sooner everyone learns to conserve water, the better.

It would be even better if water conservation would become a way of life, whether or not there is El Niño. Pollution and development activities are depleting fresh water sources. With the global population hitting seven billion and still growing, analysts are warning that the next wars will be fought over fresh water supply.

Some nations with limited water resources are using innovation to cope, developing technology to desalinate seawater for their needs. Others are also developing cutting-edge technology for water recycling. Both technologies, however, are still expensive for most developing countries. And even nations that can afford the technology are urging their citizens to conserve water.

Among the measures suggested are minimizing toilet flushing and using laundry water for the lawn. These may look like small gestures, but when taken together and done regularly, these will lead to significant reductions in water consumption. Everyone must do his part.