Cavite plans for future water supply
TRECE MARTIRES CITY, Cavite — The Provincial Government-Environment and Natural Resources Office (PGENRO) has launched what it calls a “Water Summit” that would conduct in-depth deliberation on the water status and needs of the province with the population rapidly increasing in the area.
Engineer Ernesto Cenizal, PGENRO head, said that concerned individuals were called to participate in the Summit, which tackled various water concerns.
Cavite is the country’s most densely populated province with over four million residents living in six cities and 17 municipalities.
Clean water is a prime need of the citizens and its supply is a concern as the province’s population continues to increase as the years go by.
The initial gathering, dubbed First Cavite Water Summit (2015), was held last week at Rolle Hall of Cavite State University (CavSU)-Indang.
The Summit, with the theme “Meeting our Future Water Needs,” gathered stakeholders, some officers from national and local government agencies, hospitals, resorts and commercial establishments, the academe, religious groups and other concerned individuals.
Aside from water delivery, the objective of the summit is to protect and improve the quality of water resources and oversee with experts the province’s watersheds.
The event attended by Governor Jonvic Remulla and some resource speakers, had tackled, among others, the province’s present and future water needs.
In a message, Remulla reported the six million province’s population projection by 2017 and the challenges it poses in all aspects of developments including water supply.
The cost of investment to deliver water is immense, hence the need for a rational and comprehensive water delivery system, Remulla said in part as he called on the concerned to start the planning now.
Remulla is optimistic that the future demands for water would be addressed with the help of experts and water providers in the province’s seven districts.
The event, which involved discussions on water studies, existing laws and interventions, was also graced by Dr. Guillermo Q. Tabios III, a University of the Philippines National Hydraulics Resources Center, Institute of Civil Engineering professor, Professor Noel A. Sedigo of CavSU Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, Engineers Michael Dapdapig and Willy Billones, Water Quality Management resource persons from DENR-Region IV-A Environmental Management Bureau and, Anabelle Cayabyab, PENRO Environmental Management specialist.