Iloilo City set to host water security confab
Stakeholders and environmentalists will be given an opportunity to discuss ways in managing rainwater and actions against the impact of climate change on the water regime during a conference slated November 23 to 26 at Punta Villa Resort in Iloilo City.
The “International Conference on Rainwater Harvesting in the River Basin for Water Security” is being organized by the Philippine Watershed Management Coalition and is supported by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-River Basin Control Office and the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Soil and Water Management.
It coincides with the holding of the 4th South and East Asia International Rainwater Conference, 3rd National Rainwater Harvesting Workshop, and the 10th PWMC Assembly.
PWMC President Jessica Salas said the conference is a gathering of representatives of local government units, national government agencies, academe, non-government organizations, people’s organizations, and other stakeholders.
Salas said there are already participants from other countries who confirmed their attendance to the conference.
“This conference shall present provocative ways of thinking in dealing with our river basin and finding ways of keeping the appropriate amount of water in our watersheds,” she said.
Salas noted that the latest report of Reuters tells that the decreasing and erratic rainfall threatens food security and economic growth of Asian countries. Philippines, in particular is predicted to have a decreased rainfall.
Some of the topics to be discussed in the four-day conference are climate change and water and ecological services in the watershed; rainwater harvesting industry; some rainwater technologies and strategies to adapt climate change and how to sustain the drive towards rainwater harvesting adoption; and corporate social responsibility for water.
Also, there will be sessions for shared papers, reports on good practices, posters, and other materials on various relevant topics.
Technical field trips in demonstration areas and local government units in Western Visayas for SFR, ferrocement tanks and other types of rainwater harvesting devices will be available for interested participants.*PIA
