Water Where It Counts

At the pedestrian overpass connecting UP and Central Ave, over Commonwealth Ave 

Whenever I am on the way home, I pour the remaining contents of my water bottle on the plants that adorn the overpasses along  Commonwealth Avenue at Quezon City. These elevated walkways that dot the stretch of this wide road have been 'greenified' by the presence of potted plants, and I think it is a great idea. it is a welcome respite from all the concrete we have here. However, like so many things here in the Philippines, consistency in maintenance and follow through is spotty. With some plants adorned with wilted, emaciated leaves, it is clear that the watering schedule is not being followed to the hilt by the designated gardeners.  My thinking is that I can survive the last kilometer of biking without drinking,  and that these plants need water more than I do. So my water goes to them. If you have the opportunity to pass by these overpasses, please water these plants as well, if you can, so that they will thrive; the oxygen they exhale is their gift back to us. 


The trouble is, I don't get to go to these walkways everyday, and  if someone out there can help out that would be fantastic. If you are a daily commuter who passes by these walkways on a regular basis, it would be great if you have some water for these plants. It would even be better if the immediate neighborhoods adopt these elevated gardens and take care of them. Perhaps let schoolchildren do it, supervised of course and I am sure lots of lessons can be learned there. If 'grey water' - such as collected rainwater, or water used to wash dishes - will be used, that's even better.  It wouldn't be too hard to do, and the intangible returns are very well worth it.


Too often, excess water just gets dumped into the sink when we get home. The issues of our city water system are complex, and while it is an extremely renewable resource, our potable water supply is finite and not as endless at it seems. With the El Niño phenomenon and climate change bearing down on us, the levels of Metro Manila's water sources - Angat, Ipo and La Mesa dams will soon fall below the critical point. Add to this the watershed problems such as kaingin(slash and burn farming), deforestation, illegal settlement, and siltation, coupled with Metro problems such as water pilferage, eternally broken pipes, and user apathy, and the water situation of our mega-city is not pretty at all. 


Each drop of water that comes out of our faucets starts on a remarkable journey from the atmosphere, where it hurtles down to the rainforests of the Sierra Madres, to be borne by streams towards the catchment basins of the Angat Dam, shuttled through  pipes to Ipo Dam, where it is stripped of sediments and piped to La Mesa Dam where it is stockpiled, to be drawn finally through the Balara filtration plants where it is cleaned and made potable for consumer use. It is too valuable to be unceremoniously dumped down the drain, at a time when the supply is dwindling and barely able to cope with the demands of Metro Manila's population. Let us allocate our water where it counts. Every drop is precious, we have to use our water wisely.

Photo by Ethel Fortuno