DPWH allots P38-M to build rainwater collection systems

With the rainy season fast approaching, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has allotted P38 million to construct rainwater collection facilities in far-flung barangays. “The construction of these facilities is also part of the government’s climate change adaptation program by promoting water conservation to combat the diminishing fresh water supply due to over extraction of groundwater, water pollution, inefficient water infrastructure and the El Niño phenomenon," DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson said in a news release posted on the DPWH website (http://www.dpwh.gov.ph/news/index.asp). The public works secretary cited Republic Act 6716, which mandates the construction of rainwater collection facilities to ensure an adequate supply of potable water in every barangay. The P38-million fund will be distributed to 190 district engineering offices, with prioritization given to the installation of rainwater collection facilities in public school buildings that have no existing access to potable water facilities. The DPWH has signed a memorandum of agreement with the Department of Interior and Local Government to develop an action plan on rainwater collection systems for local government units. As of March 2011, three regional and 68 district offices of the DPWH have already installed 96 rain water collection systems within their respective offices. — AY/MRT/VS, GMA News