Titled as “Wave of Action: Forum on Ensuring Water Sustainability through S&T,” the event is packed with numerous water-related technologies and programs set to enhance the country’s water management capabilities. The event was broadcasted live via the DOST-Science for Change Program (S4CP) Facebook page.
“Besides the problem of access to clean water supply, our country is also prone to tropical cyclones that lead to severe flooding,” explains DOST Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña. “For this reason, DOST has included among its priorities the provision of S&T interventions, not only on water supply and sanitation, but also for its management.”
According to DOST Undersecretary for Regional Operations, Engr. Sancho A. Mabborang: “The water supply landscape in the rural areas and cities present a different set of concerns that require unique intervention. As a sustainability mechanism, alternative water collection and small-volume impounding technologies and wastewater treatment and management strategies are continuously being developed and adopted to mitigate water-related issues.”
Undersecretary for R&D Rowena Cristina L. Guevara shared: “In the industry sector, DOST-PCIEERD has implemented over 70 projects amounting to over P300M since 2016 while in the agricultural sector, DOST-PCAARRD invested over P500M for 40 projects which have produced useful technologies for the environment, industry and governance.”
To accelerate these water initiatives, DOST also supported 22 projects for over P270M through the establishment of niche centers in the regions for R&D and academe-industry partnerships under the Science for Change Program (S4CP).
A project under DOST-S4CP Collaborative Research and Development to Leverage Philippine Economy (CRADLE) Program, “Enhanced Forecasting Model for Complex Water Supply Systems”, was featured in the forum. This project aims to achieve optimal water supply distribution in the east zone with forecasting models for Angat, Ipo, La Mesa and its water treatment plants.
Another project under the DOST-S4CP Niche Centers in the Regions for R&D (NICER), the Mountain Engineering R&D Center, was also featured. This Center, with a budget of P 62.6M, is implemented by the University of the Cordilleras. It will enhance the industrial competitiveness of the Cordilleras in the field of agriculture, tourism, and mobility through mountain engineering solutions and promote social and human development through upland water security, and environmental sustainability.
The Forum focused on water-related technologies designed for industry and agriculture. One of the technologies highlighted is the Philippine Groundwater Outlook project by the Ateneo de Manila University funded by the DOST-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD). With a budget of P15M, the project aims to deliver consistent, accessible and transferable assessments of climate and population change in regional groundwater resources. This will provide a framework for delivering monthly groundwater flood and drought reports, to better inform stakeholders of risk at local and regional levels.
Another is the Post-Treatment of Food Processing Wastewater Effluent for Nutrient Removal by the Industrial Technology Development Institute (DOST-ITDI). For this project, the proponent conducted a characterization study on the effluent of CENMACO before and after the existing wastewater treatment and developed the appropriate post-treatment design system for the removal of excess nitrogen and phosphorus in compliance with the DENR effluent standards. The outputs of this project can also be potentially adopted and transferred to other similar industries with the same problems on excessive nutrients in their treated wastewater.
Agriculture management has significant dependence on water sources. The DOST-funded Project SARAI from UP Los Baños developed two smart water management technologies: 1. Evapotranspiration-based Irrigation Scheduler and Calculator (ETCal) and Water Advisory for Irrigation Scheduling System (WAISS). These user-friendly technologies aim to achieve higher water use efficiency by providing the end-users practical information on irrigation scheduling and recommendations. Another is the Philippine Groundwater Health Index for Agricultural Areas project at UP Diliman. Both agricultural projects are funded by the DOST-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD).
“As you have seen, the DOST has started its massive initiative on the water and to scale up for a wider utilization and reach, we need your support in the adoption of these technologies,” says DOST Undersecretary Guevara. “We can achieve more if we work together. Join us in this wave of action and let us make change happen.”
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