A Quezon City councilor is looking at the San Juan River as the city’s new source of water.
District 1 Councilor Elizabeth Delarmente has authored a measure seeking the support of Mandaluyong City, San Juan City and Manila, as well as the other stakeholders, to enhance the water quality of the San Juan River system and its tributaries as a potential water source for households, industries and commercial establishments.
Delarmente filed a resolution duly approved by the city council to back the endorsement and redesignation of the San Juan River as a water quality management area, to restore the waterway and protect it from further degradation.
“The present state of the water quality of the San Juan River and its tributaries requires serious protection and management. Working together to ensure the sustainability of the river system is expected to generate maximum benefits and welfare for the affected communities and stakeholders,” she said.
Under the Clean Water Act of 2004, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, in coordination with the National Water Resources Board, is mandated to designate water quality management areas.
As of June 2016, the DENR has already designated 31 water quality management areas.
East Zone concessionaire Manila Water Co. Inc. has presented to Mayor Herbert Bautista the Tayabasan River water supply project in Antipolo City, which if developed, could also serve as an additional water source for Quezon City.
