Cebu firm turns rain into drinking water

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Mactan Rock Industries, Inc. has commercialized a technology that processes rainwater into drinking water. Antonio P. Tompar, company chairman, said they had installed the system in some factories at the Mactan Economic Zone and some beach resorts on Mactan Island. He said the system provides huge savings for industries, especially those that consume a large volume of water. "Rainwater should not be put to waste. We can take advantage of it and save on water expenses," he said in a press statement. Potable water from rainwater costs only P3 per cubic meter, while commercial bulk water averages P48 per cubic meter. Mr. Tompar said end-users must invest up to P500,000 for the installation. Mactan Rock will install a catchment facility to collect rain and automatically purify and process it into drinking water. The company is offering the system to resorts, restaurants, hotels, shopping malls, manufacturing plants and other establishments that have huge water requirements. "If it is raining, why do we have to buy water? This is not a new idea. We merely reinvented the process to commercialize it. Rainwater is high-quality. However, we have to purify it because of possible contamination," he said. Mr. Tompar added that the system is timely because of global warming, which could trigger frequent rainfall. Up to 1.5 cubic meters of rain per square meter may be caught and processed, he added. — BusinessWorld