ENVIRONMENT Secretary Antonia Loyzaga said the department is talking with other concerned government agencies about the possibility of building public water supply facilities for multiple usage including irrigation, power generation, industrial and commercial use as well as domestic consumption.

“We are looking at our respective budgets and our programs to see how we can design multipurpose infrastructure to actually serve the different needs of agriculture, power, water for domestic use, and for industry,” Loyzaga said.

She said that the DENR at present is refocusing government’s water security strategy to optimize and maximize utilization of the country’s water resources through infrastructure that enables “multi-tasked” usage of the national resource.

It will be working with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the National Economic and Development Authority, the Local Water Utilities Administration, and the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS).

Aside from this, the government, she added, is also looking to tap other water sources and to recycle wastewater. This, as the need for stable and steady water supply increases on the back of growing demand and the threat from the El Niño weather condition.

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Joel dela Torre