Zamora: Regulating businesses' water usage up to NCR LGUs

Local government units in the National Capital Region (NCR) may decide on their own whether or not they will regulate the water usage of certain establishments within their jurisdiction to help avert the water crisis amid the El Niño phenomenon, Metro Manila Council (MMC) president and San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora said Monday.

Interviewed on Unang Balita, Zamora explained that Metro Manila LGUs were given the leeway as not all cities in the region have establishments that consume massive volumes of water, such as golf courses and hotels that have swimming pools.

“Base sa napagusapan namin, depende na ‘yan sa iba’t ibang LGUs sapagkat hindi pare-parehas ang demographics ng ating mga lungsod,” he said.

(Based on our discussion, it will now depend on each LGUs because the demographics of our cities are not the same.)

“It will now depend on the LGUs if they will individually pass ordinances,” he added.

Last April, Zamora said Metro Manila mayors would discuss the possibility of regulating water usage of some establishments in support of the appeal of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) for businesses to conserve and limit water usage.

State weather bureau PAGASA declared last week the start of El Niño, which is characterized by the abnormal warming of sea surface temperature in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean and below-normal rainfall.

With this, Zamora called on NCR LGUs to conserve and recycle water as much as possible, and implement a rainwater catchment system to collect rainwater that could be used for other purposes.

“This is something that we discussed as a Metro Manila Council and I am optimistic that all Metro Manila LGUs will adopt the same policy para ‘yung tubig na pwede nating saluhin mula sa ulan ay magamit natin. Pwedeng panglinis ng mga sasakyan, panglinis sa banyo, o pandilig sa mga halaman,” he said.

(We can use the water that we can catch from the rain to clean cars, clean bathrooms, or water plants.)

The newly created Water Resources Management Office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has also directed barangay officials and property managers to advise residents to reduce activities with high water consumption.

Zamora said the MMC fully supports this call of DENR. —KBK, GMA Integrated News