Rainwater Harvesting can Help in Water Security, Conservation

Iloilo City (PIA) — A former chief of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) encouraged the public to practice rainwater harvesting to aid in water conservation and improve water security in the country.

“Seventy percent of our water needs in the household level can be met by rainwater,” said Elisea Gozun, former environment secretary and presently USAID (United States Agency for International Development) Contractor working as Climate Resiliency Team Leader under the Be Sure Project.

She said that technology of catching rain is not new but has been practiced in the past.

“We do not have acid rain in the Philippines and so that is fresh water. We used to take a bath under the rain, water the plants, wash our clothes, or clean our vehicles using rainwater,” she said.

She said that water security is a very big problem for the whole country precisely because the various consequences of climate change will have major impacts on water.

“There are four major consequences in climate change including variability of rainfall, the rising sea level, higher temperatures, and extreme weather,” she also said.

She said that it is very important to now plan differently because the situation now is different. “The world has changed and we know live in a more invasive environment,” she emphasized.

She said that water and energy conservation will go a long way in terms of climate change mitigation.

“The water that we use – to get it, to treat it, and to distribute requires the use of energy and energy production accounts for 55 percent of greenhouse gases in the Philippines. By maximizing the use of water reduces the production of greenhouse gases,” she explained.

“In terms of adaptation, if we want to maximize the capture of freshwater, it is necessary to build reservoirs and actually catching rainwater. Thus, making use of this free resources,” she added.

Gozun was a resource speaker during the conference on accelerating water security and climate resiliency among small water service providers organized by the USAID Water Security for Resilient Economic Growth and Stability (Be Secure) Project held at Hotel Del Rio here.

The Be Secure Project seeks to promote good governance and build capacity for long-term water security, improve access to water and wastewater treatment services, and build more resilient communities. (JCM/LTP/PIA-Iloilo)