CEO-WATER-RESOURCE

H2O NEWS December 2022 Is the Philippine's Water Resource Sustainable? IMAGE lulusphotography / unsplash (https://images.summitmediadigital.com/esquiremagph/images/2019/03/14/ By Paul Vincent Priela faucet.jpg) Water is one of the most essential elements needed to sustain life In Attempt to Stop a Crisis as well as process different simulations needed for development. It has been a major foundation for people, as water resources are one of the By Alfon Dave Bondad basic needs for daily life. People use water for drinking, entertainment, safety management, and not only in the field of engineering but also in Sept 20, 2022 – A forum spearheaded by other specializations. Water resources are a very important factor in Water.org, Management Association of the every country’s sustainability and economy. The government, along with Philippines, Financial Executives Institute the engineers, continuously creates innovative technology, resolves water of the Philippines and Accralaw, national resource issues, and maintains a sustainable amount of water resources. and international experts discuss an imminent water crisis... With the existing demand and significance of water resources, it will be a massive amount of water resources must be a requirement for a Continue on page 7 country. Considering this amount of resources, does our country, Philippines, have a sufficient amount of these resources?... Beyond Benefits By Jennalyn L. Amparo; John Keizzer Castillo New Department: Continue on page 3 With the continuous demand for water Marcos’s Response to supply in Metro Manila, the determination Water Crisis By Paul Vincent Priela Record-breaking of the government to continue the Heatwave Hits China construction of Kaliwa Dam is opened as a possibility to achieve sustainability. This By Alfon Dave Bondad growing issue regarding the government's decision to choose a non-economical and non-eco-friendly project becomes a major concern... Continue on page 8 President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. China Is experiencing a Unmasking the Legendary once again pushed for the creation heatwave and month-long Waterbenders of a new government body to drought during a period of efficiently manage the water usually rainy season. The By Carol Villoria resources of the country for heatwave lasted a span of a drinking and irrigation. “Water is staggering 70 days. Southern In movies, waterbenders have the ability to too important.” he was quoted as China, specifically, has saying at the 2nd week of experienced its longest continual manipulate water pressure that allows them October’s Legislative-Executive period of high temperatures Advisory Council (Ledac) meeting since 60 years ago... to grasp other objects or cut through ... Continue on page 5 without simply parting around them. These Continue on page 4 waterbenders could also be found in real life for their ability to manage water as a resource. One of the specializations of civil engineering, which are the modern waterbenders... Continue on page 10





4 H2O NEWS December 2022 Is the Philippines' Water In its current situation, the Philippines has a huge Resource Sustainable? population, which implies that the need for a safe and sustainable water supply is presumably high. By Paul Vincent Priela According to the survey done by Water.org, there are more than three million people in the IMAGE lulusphotography / unsplash https://images.summitmedia- country who rely on unsafe and unsustainable digital.com/esquiremagph/images/2019/03/14/faucet.jpg water sources, and seven million people lack access to improved water sanitation, which is Water is one of the most essential elements needed to sustain needed to provide safe drinking water and a life as well as process different simulations needed for usable supply for their daily needs. The country development. It has been a major foundation for people, as is undergoing such a tremendous phase of water resources are one of the basic needs for daily life. People modernization and urbanization in which people use water for drinking, entertainment, safety management, and find it difficult to access adequate water not only in the field of engineering but also in other resources at such places. This portrays that the specializations. Water resources are a very important factor in Philippines, at the current time, is suffering from every country’s sustainability and economy. The government, a water crisis as well as water sanitation along with the engineers, continuously creates innovative problems despite the country's growing technology, resolves water resource issues, and maintains a economy. sustainable amount of water resources. The country has been trying to provide With the existing demand and significance of water resources, sustainable and safe water sources to its citizens, it will be a massive amount of water resources must be a but as the COVID-19 pandemic arises, millions requirement for a country. Considering this amount of of people strive to endure the pandemic along resources, does our country, Philippines, have a sufficient with the water crisis the country is experiencing. amount of these resources? People tend to take more risks just to access and use one of life's most critical resources, water. This may be the point wherein the water crisis in the Philippines reaches its peak, as not only the pandemic but also the intense aftereffects of climate change that have sprung up recently are making it hard for the water resource of the country to be sustainable. This answers the previous question; the country has resources sufficient to sustain the demands of the citizens, but it is up to the point where these resources are available to all and are not drained and consumed due to the major impacts of the factors affecting it.

5 December 2022 New Department: Marcos' “The problem is too large that we need to have a Response to Water Crisis team of experts directing the 20 different concerned agencies under one roof to ensure that they manage By Paul Vincent Priela our water resources efficiently,” Marcos said. There are some pending bills in both houses of Congress about and for the establishment of the Department of Water Resources and the Water Regulatory Commission. Nonetheless, some lawmakers say a commission should be created instead of a full department since it can save the government money. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers his first State of the Nation Marcos outlined his legislative agenda for Congress Address (SONA) | Screengrab: RTVM in his July State of the Nation Address, (SONA) which included the establishment of the Department President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. once again pushed for the of Water Resources. He said the \"precarious\" creation of a new government body to efficiently manage the freshwater supply issue in the nation, particularly in water resources of the country for drinking and irrigation. urban areas, would also be investigated by the “Water is too important.” he was quoted as saying at the 2nd administration. Many water supply systems were week of October’s Legislative-Executive Advisory Council built in the 1950s, he continued, and they now need (Ledac) meeting that he might support founding the Department to be upgraded and repaired. The Integrated Water of Water Services, “Supply, our freshwater supply, is generally Resource Management (IWRM), which Mr. Marcos going down, and irrigation is not as widespread as it should be.” has suggested as the strategic framework for national water management, policy making, and planning, will be put into practice by the new agency. As the water crisis in the Philippines continues to be a major In August, the president described the IWRM as “an problem to the country, the government has a lot of things to approach to promote the coordinated development consider relating to and about this matter. However, since there and management of water, land, and related is no formal department assigned in line with the matter, the resources to maximize economic and social welfare government finds it a little difficult to distribute the workload, without compromising our ecosystem.” which is being handled slowly. With the different departments that are somehow involved in the issues of water resources, With the persuasion of the president to create the they tend to delay some actions in consideration of other factors said department, it is likely to expect some updates handled by other departments. about it and some changes in the water resource management in the Philippines.

6 H2O NEWS RECORD - BREAKING HEATWAVES HITS CHINA By Alfon Dave Bondad China Is experiencing a heatwave and month-long Other options thought of to solve problems drought during a period of usually rainy season. The brought on by the heat wave are the diversion of heatwave lasted a span of a staggering 70 days. Southern new water sources and cloud seeding in which China, specifically, has experienced its longest continual chemicals are scattered into the air to prompt period of high temperatures since 60 years ago. rainfall. The heatwave caused rivers and reservoirs to dry up, Image from Euronews.green immensely affecting hydroelectric power stations and https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/08/25/shocking-images-reveal-the-devastation-left-by- causing power outages in some regions. Factories in Sichuan province that manufacture batteries and solar chinas-record-breaking-drought panels were forced to halt operation. Shops and malls also reduced operation hours and office buildings continued work without air-conditioning in response to Yangtze River, the longest river in Asia, is also the dwindling electric supply. Cities along the river, drying up as an effect of the intense heatwave. Shanghai in particular, shuts off its famous water front The exsiccation of the river is most prominent in lights. Luzhou City also switches off its street lights at the Yangtze River basin which spans from night as an attempt to lessen demand for energy. Shanghai’s coast in the East to Sichuan province in the Southwest. Food crop production is also under severe threat triggering four government agencies to issue a joint emergency statement on August 24 stating that the autumn harvest is in peril. The citizens are urged to mindfully use water.

7 Image from Climate Home News According to China’s ministry of water resources, Forest Fires also occurred in Sichuan province, rainfall in the area is at its all-time-low since 1961 with the municipality of Chongqing municipality revealing three 600-year-old Buddhist statues being the most affected. Local fire departments below the famous Guanyin Pavilion, in the Hubei have dispatched 1700 firefighters and 200 province. August 12-17 was reported to be where helicopters to put out the flames. Other provinces temperatures peaked prompting the National also along the Yangtze river basin are also Meteorological Centre to issue a high temperature cautious and on high alert for possible grass and alert for six days straight. forest fires. Lakes such as the Poyang lake, China’s largest freshwater lake in Jiangxi province and the Dongting lake in Hunan province, if not reduced to a stream, are dried up, largely impacting areas reliant on irrigation for farming. Low water supplies also posed a threat in drinking water stock forcing the authorities to release water from Three Gorges and Danjiangkou reservoirs to provide relief. The drought of the said lakes has been caused by the continuous high temperatures and low rainfall in the Yangtze Basin. Image from Reuters https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-southwest- battles-forest-fires-end-heatwave-approaches-2022-08-23/

8 Sept 20, 2022 – A forum spearheaded by By Alfon Dave Bondad Water.org, Management Association of the Philippines, Financial Executives Institute of which halted momentum for improved water the Philippines and Accralaw, national and governance. There are recommendations that international experts discuss an imminent must be immediately implemented. water crisis. An executive order establishing a coordinating Data from the United Nations shows that by body should be implemented to have the year 2025, 1.8 billion will suffer from coordination between 32 water-related water scarcity. By 2050, 45 percent of the agencies. Enough budget should be allocated in world population will experience water- achieving the Integrated Water Resource shortages situation. In 2019, the former Management (IWRM) approach to be used in President Rodrigo Duterte made a legislative- 18 major water basins. The application of this executive-private sector water roadmap process would allow a coordinated effort in the committee in order to address the country’s development and management of water, land, poor evaluation from Asian Development and other resources. The National Irrigation Bank studies in 2013 and 2016, in regards Authority should allocate a larger part of the with water governance. In both studies the budget on water management to make sure Philippines ranked in the bottom-third out of efficient and effective use of the resource. 48 Asia-Pacific countries. The study looks at Records also show that small irrigation aspects such as economy, environment, systems and rehabilitations and repair results in household, resilience, and urban. higher return investment when compared to larger systems. Data connected to water must In the year 2016, acute watery diarrhea be in a consistent form and to be submitted to claimed over 139,000 lives in the Philippines, the Philippine Statistics Authority which will and is one of the top reasons of mortality in largely help in management and planning to the country. The threat also posed by El Niño provide better research expertise. Furthermore, and climate change could also pose threats in the country should invest more in researching the water supply as it accelerates the drought the latest cost-effective technologies and of the water resources of the country. techniques to improve accessibility and availability of potable water. The water roadmap committee centered mainly on agriculture and governance hoping Though there have been efforts in the past in for improvement in upcoming reviews. The tackling the issue of a water crisis, there are actions taken on by the group yielded a still things that could have been done to further generally successful attempt to improve prevent and lessen the chances of the ratings from nascent in 2013 and engaged in Philippines and its people from experiencing 2016, to a capable. However, the committee the hardships presented by this imminent was later abolished danger.

9 However, there is conclusive evidence that this project could have impacts on many aspects of our country. EYOND By Jennalyn L. Amparo About 12.189 billion pesos will be Illustration By John Keizzer Castillo the allocated budget and the funding is from China Energy Engineering an option seems to Corporation Limited (CEEC), a commercial loan agreement from ENEFITs outwardly unravel the China with 2% annual interest rate. concern The costly price for the construction is disturbing, this could cause so much loss in the Philippine economy leading to debt wherein only Filipinos will suffer. with the continuous demand for water supply in Metro Manila, the Furthermore, according to a report published by the Haribon determination of the government to continue the construction of Foundation, the project would cause irreversible damage to the Kaliwa Dam is opened as a possibility to achieve sustainability. This environment as the construction will take place in the Kaliwa. Considering growing issue regarding the government's decision to choose a non- that environment, specifically Sierra Madre serves as provider of the basic economical and non-eco-friendly project becomes a major concern of needs of people, home of many different species and shield during Filipinos as it is found out that the Kaliwa Dam Project violates legal calamities. The destruction of the environment could worsen the effect processes and the Philippine constitution, is destructive to the of climate change in the country. environment, and is against the country's national interest. Will the promised benefits of the Kaliwa Dam Project outweigh or just be reasonable for its costs? This decision is actually alarming, knowing how it will immensely risk the lives, the wildlife and the economy. This project will greatly affect the ancestral domain of Dumagat- Hence, the country’s situation needs Remontados living in the mountains of Sierra Madre, resulting in loss of structure and control over natural resources for these ethnic a solution that will give long term communities, even if these groups are promised new housing, it may be hard to sustain themselves as Sierra Madre is the only source they benefits and be less destructive at the have ever known. same time. The purpose of the project is noticeable and that it tends Nevertheless, the importance of water, its sufficient supply, safety to address is a problem, however, it level and accessibility has been emphasized. The Kaliwa Dam Project will help secure water supply mainly to Metro Manila and some is actually alarming, the provinces and to provide access for sanitation and clean water. It is said to be a long term solution to Metro Manila water crises. In consequences it will bring to the addition, the project aims to increase the raw water supply to meet future potable water demand of Metro Manila and reduce dependence country economically and on the Angat Dam environmentally is irreversible. The huge risk of the project outweighs the promised benefits.

10 Christina G. Casole P.E is an experienced Water Resources Engineer with a demonstrated history of working in the environmental and water resources services industry. Skilled in Watershed Assessment, Stream Restoration, Stormwater Management, Floodplain Analysis and agency permitting. Engineering professional with a Master of Engineering (MEng) focused in Environmental Science and Engineering from The Johns Hopkins University. She was interviewed on October 20, 2019 by the host, Katherine Callahan, a civil engineering student majoring in Environmental Engineering in a webinar series entitled Ask RePicture Webinar Series: Water Resources Engineering-Career Advice What made you decide to choose What are the different specialties I was out on the field more in the water resources? within water resources? beginning of my career, but not so much now. I majored in civil engineering at Penn I do a lot of them like stormwater State and my focus was in structural management, stream restoration. What’s your favorite part about engineering. So I took all of those There is also floodplain management your job? structural classes, like concrete design which is starting to become a big deal and steel design. I definitely wanted lately considering the whole climate Not everyday is the same, everyday is to be a structural engineer when I change discussion. A water resources completely different. Some days I’m graduated. One day a water resources engineer would build a large-scale working only on marketing items and engineer came up to me and said she model to model flooding areas. Some trying to win work and that’s really needs this grading done for a of my friends who are water resource something completely different that stream restoration plan. I kind of engineers work for WSSC which is a they don’t really teach you in school, shrugged and thought, well I never kind of Pseudo government but also well they didn't teach me in my say no to anything. So I said, sure privately owned utility company and undergrad in civil engineering. It was give that to me. I did the grading for they provide water and wastewater to a challenge at first to roll into that, her and then the next thing I know she residents and businesses. There are a which I love and it also makes things asked me to run a hydraulic model for variety of things within water variable but even if you’re doing her (or at least cut the cross section so resources and it’s definitely all water resources work every single they could run the HEC-RAS different but based on the same basic day, day in day out, it is never the computer model). I thought, yeah I skills in your hydrology, hydraulics same. It is never the same problem can do that too. I ended up really and subsurface flow. which means never the same solution. liking stream restoration work. As my With me, I don’t get really bored with career progressed, I decided to focus How much fieldwork is technically it because it’s always something new. more on water resources and leaned involved with water resources away from structural engineering. projects, and what do you do when Do you have any advice for anyone What kind of projects do water you’re in the field? trying to get into the water resources engineers work on? Usually when the projects starts, there resources field? is a lot of field work involved because Aside from working on your networks Stream restoration project which is you need to assess the site and then and resume, my advice is to always usually implemented either because over the lifetime of the project, if it is say \"yes\" to things, unless it's the stream is eroding and it might be a normal size project, a year to two something that you really, really don't affecting local properties. We would years depending on permitting time, want to do. Saying \"yes\" is how I got do stream restoration and stabilize the you’ll go out to the site with to where I am now. I like to say that I banks and implement a bunch of permitting agencies once or twice and have no \"no button\". I use my \"yes different tools to keep the stream bank then again out for construction. So button\" all the time for new from eroding. Stormwater depending on how large the site is, opportunities that come my way. management is pretty much how it that’s how long you’re going to be in You'll be surprised at where saying sounds. When it rains, all the water the field but it is mainly at the \"yes\" ends up taking you - you just has to go somewhere and it needs to beginning of the project. If you have a never know. be treated before it goes into our lot of projects, you could end up general system and then out into the being in the field a lot. When I was bay. We use various techniques to younger, they used to send younger treat the water and also capture it so it staff out in the field. doesn’t erode downstream.

11 UNMASKING THE LEGEND Many engineers working in this A legislation that was passed in WATERBENDERS specialization handle water 1850 added water resources resources in the modern times in an planning to the Corps By Carol P. Villoria inventive manner. The so-called responsibilities, and in 1897, a waterbenders have contributed a lot Mississippi River Commission was In movies, waterbenders have the to make sure that the available water established with the Corps in charge ability to manipulate water pressure supplies are adequately leveraged of planning for an entire river basin. that allows them to grasp other and remain safe to use for as long as Throughout most of the twentieth objects or cut through without possible. Considering the century, the U.S. Army Corps of simply parting around them. These advancements in water resource Engineers together with two other waterbenders could also be found in engineering in the present times, agencies established at that time, real life for their ability to manage have you ever wondered who are the utilized the Progressive Era concepts water as a resource. One of the legendary waterbenders who of conservation and multipurpose specializations of civil engineering, oversaw some of the earlier works development to guide their planning which are the modern waterbenders, that resulted in more cutting-edge of water resources projects. has greatly bolstered the world's systems today? In the present, the U.S. Army Corps prosperity when it comes to of Engineers is one of the world's managing and preserving life's most Dating back to the 1800s, an act of premier public engineering, design, plentiful resource. Water resource Congress in the United States and construction management engineering is essential for established the Army Corps of government agencies. The agency's understanding the availability, Engineers as the nation’s preeminent interest in planning and managing storage, and distribution of water as water resources manager. the nation's waterways continues to a resource. It also entails the Originally, the purpose of this Army this day in the form of numerous creation of brand-new tools and Corps of Engineers was to improve activities, including channelization machinery that aid in the navigation on existing waterways projects, dredge and fill activities, management of human water and to explore western water routes harbor improvements, floodplain resources. for an expanding nation. management , and the construction and maintenance of a vast system of locks and dams on the nation's largest rivers.

12 WOW FACTS! It has 47,895 million cubic meters of groundwater PHILIPPINES HAS WATER CODE? reserves, which are replenished by rainfall and seepage from rivers and lakes. The lakes are primarily used for fish farming. Cagayan, Central Luzon, Agusan, and Cotabato have the four largest groundwater reservoirs. There are 438 major dams and 423 smaller dams in the country. Dams and reservoirs are primarily used for water storage, water supply, irrigation, flood control, and hydropower generation . The Angat Dam, Ipo Dam, and La Mesa Dam supply the majority of the water to the Manila metropolitan area (also known as Angat-Ipo- La Mesa water system). Ambuklao Dam (built for flood control, irrigation, and hydroelectric power generation in Baguio and other parts of Luzon) and Magat Dam are two well-known and larger dams in rural areas (irrigation and hydroelectric power source in Isabela). Presidential Decree No. 1067, also known as DOWN the Water Code of the Philippines, is a law 1. natural stream of water of considerable volume that governs everything concerning the larger than a brook or creek. Philippines' bodies of water. Surface waters, 2. basic necessity of individual for drinking, groundwater, airborne waters, and ocean sanitation and hygiene waters are all covered by the code. The 5. one of the goals of the government along with Philippine Water Code was created to ensure the engineers, to ensure availability of water for the security of Philippine waters and their consumption maximum utilization for the benefit of the 9. small stream of water which serves as the natural Filipino people. The national territory is drainage course for a drainage basin. defined in the 1987 Constitution as \"all the ACROSS islands and waters embraced therein, as well 3. it is a method of water control as all other territories over which the 4. an event that lead to water deficiency or a lack of Philippines has sovereignty or jurisdiction, safe water supplies consisting of its terrestrial, fluvial, and aerial 6. a pond, lake tank, or basin ( natural or human domains, including its territorial sea, seabed, made) where water is collected and stored subsoil, insular shelves, and other submarine 7. the downward entry of water through the sol areas.\" The waters surrounding, between, surface and connecting the archipelago's islands, 8. the process by which a liquid is transformed to a regardless of their breadth and dimensions, gaseous state. are considered internal waters of the 10. application of water resources engineering and Philippines.\" However, the United Nations a process of supplying a water. Convention on the Law of the Sea only recognized sovereignty up to 12 nautical miles from the shore, implying that there are still exceptions to a country's sovereignty over bodies of water. Aside from territorial waters, the Water Code discusses ownership of bodies of water found on private land, making it easier for property owners and developers to plan how they will use their property when there are bodies of water nearby or within the property. DID YOU KNOW THAT? Rivers, lakes, river basins, and groundwater reservoirs are the Philippines' primary water sources. Cagayan River, the longest and largest river, discharges approximately 53,943 million cubic meters of water per year. PUZZLE!

13 References Frost, R. (2022, August 25). 600-year-old Buddha statues revealed by China's devastating drought. euronews. Retrieved November 25, 2022, from https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/08/25/shocking-images-reveal-the-devastation- left-by-chinas-record-breaking-drought BBC News. (2020, March 31). Chinese forest fire: Firefighters and guide killed in Sichuan blaze. BBC News. Retrieved November 25, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia- china-52103106 Ordoñez, E. M. (2022, October 7). Preventing a water catastrophe. INQUIRER.net. Retrieved November 25, 2022, from https://business.inquirer.net/366581/preventing-a-water- catastrophe Clarke, J. N. (2019). .\" water:science and issues. . encyclopedia.com. 23 Nov. 2022 . Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved November 24, 2022, from https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/planning-and- management-history-water-resources?fbclid=IwAR2qRR3DKaWPpAiOXntv6g2CWv-Yj13h- EVYb_IptWxP8Yj50JC7MBmbDmU allahan, K. (2019, October 20). Christina Casole: Civil Engineer: Repicture. Engineering Career Advice, Learn What Engineers Do. Retrieved November 24, 2022, from https://www.repicture.com/userprofile/christina-casole Philippines water crisis - water in the Philippines 2022. Water.org. (n.d.). Retrieved November 25, 2022, from https://water.org/our-impact/where-we-work/philippines/ Aning, J. (2022, October 17). Marcos renews push for Water Department. INQUIRER.net. Retrieved November 18, 2022, from https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1680704/marcos-renews- push-for-water-department

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