Water rationing to drought-hit Antique towns

ANTIQUE – The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) conducts rationing in municipalities experiencing water shortages due to the El Niño phenomenon.

“As of Friday, our municipal fire stations in Bugasong, Tibiao, San Remigio, Culasi, Sibalom, and Valderrama have already conducted a total of 20 water rationings using the firetrucks,” said Fire Officer 2 Eulie May Raymaro, BFP Antique information officer, on Friday.

The rationing was in response to requests from local government units, particularly for their residents living in hilly or elevated areas where water is scarce, she added.

They can use t he water for bathing and washing dishes, but not drinking.

Barangays needing water shall coordinate with their municipal governments, which provide gasoline for fire trucks.

BFP has 27 fire trucks in 18 municipalities ready for use in water rationing.

Meanwhile, as part of t he conservation measures, Raymaro said they minimize using water during their fire drill simulation in schools, barangays, and private business establishments.

“The 18 fire stations s t i l l c onduct t hei r fire drills, but during simulation, they are instructed to minimize the use of water or even to just perform the fire suppression exercise without the actual use of water anymore,” she said.

Their fire stations also target conducting tree planting twice a month or participating i n t he t ree planting activities of LGUs to help in environmental preservation to mitigate the ill effects of climate change, such as the El Niño phenomenon.