BFP starts monitoring fire hydrants

Wary of finding fire hydrants empty just when the need arises, the Bureau of Fire Protection has started keeping tabs on fire hydrants in Metro Manila. Radio dzBB's Carlo Mateo reported that BFP Metro Manila chief Senior Superintendent Pablito Cordeta asked water concessionaires and the public to help them in their monitoring efforts. Cordeta particularly asked Manila Water and Maynilad Water to help them inspect fire hydrants and make sure they have ample supply of water. Maynilad services the western zone of Metro Manila and nearby provinces, while Manila Water services the eastern zone. Both firms are concessionaires of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System. On the other hand, he appealed to the public not to tamper or even play with the fire hydrants. Cordeta pointed out that March is Fire Prevention Month, just the time when many fires occur amid the hot summer season. Meanwhile, amid looming problems in water and electricity, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) appealed to industries and private firms to conserve and recycle water. DENR Secretary Horacio Ramos noted that Malacañang has already directed all government agencies to cut down on their water consumption by 10 percent and observe water conservation measures. “We are urging the country’s top companies to reuse their waste-water and tap it for other uses such as to water plants, cool boilers, flush urinals and toilet bowls, even to wash company vehicles," Ramos said in an article posted on the DENR Website. Ramos likewise directed all DENR offices, including regional offices, to practice water conservation measures in their respective areas, such as plugging leaking pipes and faucets. He said that at the DENR central office in Quezon City, they have started observing water shutdown from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., repair of leaks, designation of a maintenance crew to open and close water valves on rotation basis; and use of its treated waste-water for gardening and watering purposes. “In the face of climate change, it is important that Filipinos should now adopt water conservation as a way of life, and not just only during the summer months. Every drop of water we save can spell life to some of our countrymen in far-flung areas in need of water to drink," he added. For his part, National Water Resources Board (NWRB) Officer-in-charge Nathaniel Santos said the water elevation in Angat Dam as of 6 a.m. Feb. 19 was 195.75 meters. Santos said the dam’s water supply is still manageable to meet the domestic requirements of Metro Manila’s 15 million population and the irrigation needs of the 27,000-hectare farmlands in Bulacan and Pampanga until the El Niño ends in July. On the other hand, the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS), through its concessionaires Maynilad and Manila Water, will activate back-up wells and fast-track repairs of leakages in the water system. The MWSS is also scheduled to activate a new water source and treatment plant in Laguna de Bay. Also, the Department of Agriculture’s National Irrigation Administration will implement scheduled land soaking and provide shallow tube well pumps to farmers in Bulacan and Pampanga. — AP