Water-harvesting facilities installation mandatory in Ormoc City

ORMOC CITY, May 31 -- This city is making the installation of water-harvesting facilities mandatory for new buildings, even residential ones, after the passage of an ordinance mandating its construction.

The city council here passed and approved on Tuesday the “Rainwater Ordinance of Ormoc City.” The proponent of the measure is Councilor Rolando Villasencio, committee chairman on zoning, housing and land use.

The rainwater ordinance is also close to the heart of Mayor Richard Gomez, who asked the council to pass the ordinance.

Gomez said that Ormoc was having water shortage problems and it was a pity that a resource like rainwater was not being harnessed to address this. Ormoc only had two weather patterns which is “wet and wetter,” he said. 

Even while the ordinance has not yet been crafted, Gomez had already been appealing to owners of new buildings to incorporate a rainwater harvester in their designs.

Villasencio said that under the ordinance, residential homes were to have a rain-harvest facility that could store at least 200 liters. 

Homeowners can opt for plastic drums but it was mandatory that the eaves and gutters of their roofs are designed to gather the rain which will end up in these drums or containers.

On the other hand, medium-sized buildings are required to have storage tanks of at least 2,000 liters and large ones, with 10,000 liters.

Communal type rainwater catching system can also be done in subdivisions and urban poor housing projects which should at least store 10,000 liters. 

Aside from saving water and helping in Ormoc’s water shortage, the rainwater ordinance, if already in effect, is deemed to reduce run-off and flooding, and even erosion. The harvested rain, however, is non-potable and should not be used for drinking. 

The putting up of rain-harvesting facilities is made mandatory in the issuance of future building permits in the city.

Ormoc City could be the first city in the region to make the installation of rain harvesting facilities mandatory.

Leyte and Alang-alang towns have their own water conservation ordinances, but it only encourages the practice of rain harvesting, not making it mandatory.

The ordinance is also among the recommendations of former Environment secretary Elisea Gozun, who was here a few months ago, for a water summit. 

Gozun also recommended that Ormoc find more surface water sources and only resort to pumping underground water as a last resort. Ormoc has 33 underground water pumping stations. (Ormoc City PR/PNA)