by Sentinel Times June 14, 2021 Dennis Uy (Photo from Forbes) In an earnest look at the capability of district water supply outfits serving ...
June 14, 2021
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| Dennis Uy (Photo from Forbes) |
In an earnest look at the capability of district water supply outfits serving their respective cities and municipalities in the CALABARZON region, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) opposed the bid of businessman Dennis Uy to fit out a P103-million ($2.12-million) water supply project.
The Dennis Uy proposal, Lumbo Spring Bulk Water Supply project is aimed at providing 10,000 cubic meters per day to Laguna's San Pablo City Water District (SPCWD) and 2,000 cubic meters per day to Quezon's Dolores Water District (DWD) for at least 25 years.
NIA said the water outtake will adversely affect Laguna's Lagnas River, one of the tributaries of Lumbo Spring, at south of San Pablo City, Laguna, and to the west of Dolores, Quezon.
The project will draw about 12 million liters of water daily from Lumbo Spring.
Lagnas River, which flows to Lumbo Spring, irrigates over 700 hectares of ricelands and crop-growing areas of some 400 farmers-- a virtual tug-of-war between food security versus potable water supply for the households of Dolores, Quezon and San Pablo City.
The Dennis Uy scheme isn't in place yet, but already, croplands that draw irrigation from Lumbo Spring are feeling the pinch of reduced water flow for raising rice and other crops.
"There is a clear threat of irrigation water shortage due to the increasing numbers of water users both for domestic and agricultural use," stressed Fidel Martinez, division manager of NIA's Quezon Irrigation Management Office in a position paper opposing the Uy business bid.
Similarly, Tiaong chief executive Ramon Preza had issued a similar warning prior to the NIA statement, noting that farmers have already observed a reduction in water supply for crop growing.
No local environment watch group had jumped into the fray to assert that ample forest cover that can store rainwater for extended periods, feed such collected water into groundwater sources and waterways is the true source of scant potable water supply.
Local observers may likely point to the campaign platform of a businessman candidate for one of the cities adjacent to Laguna Lake, promising to ease the water shortage in local households by processing and purifying available water from Laguna de Bay, the Philippines's largest inland body of largely untapped freshwater.
Nor did any businessman out to rake profits from supplying potable water to households in the CALABARZON region ventured into desalination of ocean water in the nation's eastern seaboard, observers cited.
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