THINKTANK BACKS SPEAKER’S CALL TO SAVE WATER

By Maricel V. Cruz

THINK tank Infrawatch PH is supporting the call of Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez for Congress to reduce water system loss by setting up mechanisms to assist water districts to ensure that more Filipinos have access to potable water.

Infrawatch PH Convenor Terry Ridon made the statement after Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) Chair Ronnie Ong publicly sought support from Congress to reduce the almost 30 percent annual water system loss recorded by water districts across the country.

Ong bared data from LWUA which show that of the 584 water districts in the country, at least 244 water districts have rates of non-revenue water (NRW) – or water that is pumped and then lost or unaccounted for– that exceeds 21 percent, LWUA further bared that about 20 water districts have NRW rates that go as high as 71 percent.

On average, water districts record an NRW rate of 29.34 percent, which translates to around 488 million cubic meters – or about half the capacity of Angat Dam.

High NRW rates are attributed to the lack of budget of most water districts to install new pipes, conduct regular maintenance and repairs, and the “virtual” water-loss component due to meter inaccuracies, illegal connections and billing errors.

The agency, with the help of police personnel and local enforcers, also started road clearing operations along Mabuhay Lanes, which serve as alternate routes for private vehicles avoiding the congested EDSA.

The campaign aims to alleviate road congestion by the start of classes on Aug. 29 and the upcoming holiday season, when traffic is expected to be heavy.

Local chief executives have asked for assistance in reclaiming public roads and clearing areas in their jurisdiction from all kinds of obstruction.

Meanwhile, the MMDA is mapping out traffic management plans for areas near Xavier School, Saint Pedro Poveda, La Salle Greenhills, and Immaculate Conception Academy.

TOKYO reaffirmed on Saturday its support for the 2016 Arbitral Ruling on the South China Sea, as it agreed in a historic first to enhance security cooperation with the United States and South Korea amid rising challenges in the region.

“At the historic (Japan, US, South Korea) summit, leaders strongly oppose China’s offensive acts of unlawful maritime claims in the South China Sea, in particular, dangerous use of coast guard, maritime militia vessels and coercive activities,” Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Kazuhiko Koshikawa posted on X (formerly Twitter).

“Compliance with the 2016 Arbitral Award and UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) is vital for the region,” he added (see related story on A1 -- Editors).

The landmark ruling, issued by the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration in July 2016, upheld the Philippines’ sovereign rights and jurisdiction in its exclusive economic zone, including the Ayungin Shoal, which sits 105 nautical miles off mainland Palawan province. Japan was among the nations that called out the Chinese Coast Guard’s use of water cannon against Philippine boats en route to resupply the beached BRP Sierra Madre at the Ayungin Shoal on Aug. 5.

US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol agreed in a trilateral summit at the Camp David US military base in Maryland on Aug. 18 to elevate their trilateral security cooperation against what they described in a joint statement as “dangerous and aggressive actions” of China and the attempt to “unilaterally change the status quo in the Indo-Pacific waters.”