Sec. Loyzaga: Invest in collecting rainwater

DENR, SM Prime calls on cities to innovate and invest in water-saving technologies to avert water crisis

In an effort to mitigate the effects of climate change on the nation’s ecosystem, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SM Prime), one of the top developers of real estate in Southeast Asia, recently urged local public officials to invest in rainwater collection for recycling and impoundment as well as investigate new technologies like modular desalination and modular sewage treatment plants.

Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga recently shared solutions-focused guidelines to assist the local government reduce carbon footprint, with a focus on water conservation to address the impending water crisis and increase access to clean water and sanitation, at the multi-stakeholder forum “Towards a Greener Footprint” in Iloilo City.

“We need to invest in the appropriate engineering and infrastructure to deliver water from the source,” Secretary Loyzaga said. “We must avoid, if not reduce drastically, the extraction of groundwater which in low-lying coastal areas causes subsidence and increases flooding.”

 “Rainwater catchments will not only provide additional supply for household use but will also help ensure the availability of surface water through the maintenance of watershed cover when impounded,” Secretary Loyzaga said.

Based on the latest report of the Philippine Statistics Authority, water abstracted for own use increased from 215.2 billion cubic meters (bcm) in 2020 to 217.8 bcm in 2021 countrywide. From 2010 to 2021, the largest amount of self-abstracted water is for the power sector (58.7%). This was followed by agriculture (33.5%); mining and quarrying, manufacturing, and construction (5.3%); and services sector and households (2.6%). 

Earlier this month, the DENR said the country still has enough water supply, but proper management is needed to prevent a possible water crisis by the end of the year.

The call was met with a resounding response from the private sector, particularly, SM Prime.  In the same forum, SM Supermalls Vice President for Corporate Compliance Engr. Liza B. Silerio shared how  SM Prime has stepped up the sustainability programs that it has been doing since SM Supermalls started recycling water in the 1990s.

In addition to developing a mall-based rainwater filtering technology that transforms collected rainwater into potable water fit for drinking, washing, and cleaning, SM Prime also pioneered the use of rainwater catchment to assist prevent floods in communities where its malls are situated. The facility, which was opened at SM City Baguio, would provide mall tenants with adequate drinkable water to assist decrease sourcing from the local water table.

“As an integrated property developer, we have seen the first-hand effects of natural hazards that are caused by the change in weather patterns in the Philippines,” Engr. Silerio explained. “El Nino and La Nina are two phenomena resulting from climate change. Our country ranks number one in the World Risk Index 2022 report as the most vulnerable among 193 nations.”

When faced with this difficulty, Engr. Silerio said that SM Prime will keep coming up with creative solutions to the environment problems. “We continue to evolve and adapt technology to improve our resource consumption as part of our climate action,” she said in conclusion.