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[av_heading heading=’ Reduce, reuse wastewater’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”][/av_heading]
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Sunday, March 19, 2017
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ILOILO City – We may have enough water resources today but what about in the next few years?
The annual celebration of World Water Day is fast approaching (March 22) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region 6 is encouraging the practice of reducing and reusing wastewater.
“What will happen if we don’t know the proper management of wastewater,” said Director Jim Sampulna.
Reminding Ilonggos of the importance of water, Sampulna said reducing and reusing wastewater benefits not only today’s generation.
“This will also benefit the next generation and every living thing,” he stressed.
This year, the World Water Day also supports the Sustainable Development Goal 6.3, “By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and increasing recycling and safe reuse globally.”
According to Sampulna, wastewater include all the dirty water from municipal sources, schools, restaurants, commercial establishments, hospitals, farms, floodwater with feces, urine and fecal sludge, among others.
Other wastewater may contain dangerous dissolved toxins and chemicals, he added.
Most of the wastewater come from homes, cities, industry and agriculture that flow back to the surroundings without proper treatment or being reused. This pollutes the environment, most especially bodies of water which eventually lose essential nutrients.
DENR says there are three types of wastewater – black water, gray water and yellow water.
Unlike in industrialized countries where everybody has access to safe water, in developing countries like the Philippines, only 86 percent has access, according to DENR.
To raise awareness and encourage local community involvement for the World Water Day 2017 celebration, DENR-6 is organizing a forum, orchestrated cleanup, and tree planting and river cleanup activities.
The forum on wastewater and septage management was held on March 17 at the Iloilo Science and Technology University.
The orchestrated cleanup was conducted yesterday while the tree planting and river cleanup will be on March 22 in Barangay San Julian, Tapaz, Capiz. (PIA6-Iloilo/PN)
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