AC water crisis seen in 10 years

• Source: http://punto.com.ph/News/Article/26320/Volume-10-No-40/Headlines/AC-water-crisis-seen-in-10-years
• Thursday, December 1, 2016

By Ashley Manabat

CLARK FREEPORT – “If we will not act now, we will be facing a serious water crisis in less than 10 years or in 2025.”

Thus, said Renato “Abong” S. Tayag Jr., founding chair of the Kapampangan advocacy group Advancement for the Development of Central Luzon (ADCL), who is now pushing for surface water source for Clark.

During the Balitaan media forum organized by the Capampangan in Media, Inc. in cooperation with the Clark Development Corp. at the Bale Balita here last Friday, Tayag said conservation is the key to avoiding a water crisis in the near future because of the threat brought about by climate change, the El Nino phenomenon, forest denudation which leads to the destruction of the watershed and wastage.

Tayag said this is echoed by Greenpeace, the National Water Resources Board, World Wildlife Fund for Nature Conservation, and the National Economic Development Authority which warn that the aquifers will eventually dry up.

Tayag said among the keys to conservation are rain water collection especially in industrial plants and big companies to preserve the aquifer. “We pump water only in severe cases,” he said.

Tayag said his group is now developing the Clark watershed by planting more trees because it takes at least five years before the trees can be productive. He said the project is called the Sapang Bato Watershed Community Project which is located on a 40-hectare property in Sitio Target, Barangay Sapang Bato here.

Tayag said City Councilor Edu Pamintuan is leading the advocacy in the city council while the One Million Trees project is led by Bishop Joe Briones of the Church of the Latter Day Saints who reports to the city government.

But Tayag cautioned that those who are planting trees should only plant within the boundaries of their resources.

“We will plant only what we can water based on our resources,” he said. “But the whole community should be involved. There is no exception because we are all using water.”

“We invite schools, universities and big companies like San Miguel Corp. to have this as part of their corporate social responsibility,” he added.

“To sum it up, there will be a serious water shortage if no human intervention is done to conserve it,” he said.