Bulk water supply via surface water
ATTY. MANUEL P. CANLAS I have been privileged to attend a committee meeting at the Pampanga Provincial Capital concerning the proposal to tap another potential water resource other than the present dependence on underground water to supply the needs of household, industry and agriculture.
The committee was created by Governor Lilia ‘Nanay’Pineda to undertake an informal assessment on the feasibility of utilizing the surface water assets of Pampanga to help meet the water requirements of its growing constituencies. In passing, groundwater is extracted through the operation of deep or shallow wells. Surface water is found in rivers and streams.
After considering relevant data on the effects of over-extraction of groundwater and the benefits of tapping the abundant surface water resource of Pampanga, it is the consensus of the committee that the use of both ground and surface waters will provide the desired complementation that will assure adequate and continues supply of water to the province’s institutional users. Most importantly, the proposed strategic tandem is expected to counter the harmful consequences of excessive groundwater extraction, particularly on the environment and human health.
At the outset, uncontrolled extraction of groundwater results in the drying up of underground water beds overtime. Consequently, should the natural process of desired replenishment do not take place simultaneously in the emptied water beds, the stability and holding capacity of the land weakens. This renders the ground vulnerable to earthquakecaused sinkholes and land cracks. This phenomenon is also known as land subsidence or sinking of the land. Moreover, over-extraction of groundwater causes deterioration of the water quality through contamination that transmits water-borne diseases, especially in shallow well areas. Majority of Pampanga is identified as shallow well areas.
But the serious challenge that confronts public authority today is the looming groundwater shortage brought about by unmitigated extraction. It is estimated that by 2025, 12 out 22 municipalities/cities in Pampanga may be at risk of groundwater shortage if excessive and uncontrolled extraction is not addressed. It is worth mentioning that the rapid depletion of India’s water tables that threatens the water resources of the country is due to excessive groundwater extraction.
The Province of Pampanga must now adopt practical measure to conserve and thus avoid exhausting its groundwater minerals by tapping its abundantly accessible surface water which is deposited in its 3 major river systems, namely: Pampanga River, Angat River and Porac River. These 3 catch basins have a combined dependable surface water supply of 8.91 mcm/ day. About 90% of this surface water is unutilized which could wisely be used as a viable complement if not best alternative to groundwater.
Indeed, due to economies of scale, increased production due to abundant supply supported by state of the art technology, construction and operation of modern bulk water infrastructure, such as, transmission pipelines, water treatment and septage plants and much-needed facility, may yield lower costs to end-users.
Thus, the operation of a bulk water facility will not only insure adequate supply water to the province’s end-users at lower costs, but also bring additional revenue to the provincial government of Pampanga not to mention the employment it will generate from within. These benefits are now being enjoyed by some local government units with existing bulk water projects, such as Cebu, Cagayan De Oro and Iloilo, among others.
Ultimately, tapping the surface water asset of Pampanga will reverse the adverse environmental and healthrelated repercussions of unbridled groundwater extraction.
(Note: The second part of this article will discuss the legal, financial, technical and management aspects concerning the establishment and operation of a bulk water facility as herein proposed.)