Iloilo City councilor wants rooftop rain harvesting systems a requirement for new buildings

A simple rainwater harvesting system from bluegranola.com

Tweet

InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5

ILOILO CITY -- Councilor David Raymund C. Jamora is pushing for an ordinance that requires new buildings, those that occupy large spaces or require large volume of water use to install rooftop rain harvesting systems in their premises.

The ordinance has been recommended for second reading by the Committee on Public Works chaired by Councilor RLeone Gerochi.

However, Jamora deemed it better to consult with “authorities knowledgeable on it for its final form and substance.”

Once approved, the ordinance specifically covers public or private buildings that will be constructed in this city that occupies an area of at least 500 square meters of ground area that are or not extracting water from the ground or obtaining water by other sources except by rooftop rainwater harvesting.

Jamora justified that the use of the system could incur savings for households as well as commercial and industrial sectors which subsequently could be used for productive activities to their advantage and to this city’s economy.

Further, he emphasized that rainwater harvesting “diminishes the amount of storm water runoff on the ground, thereby reducing flooding, which is a perennial problem in the city.”

He added that the excess or overflow rainwater may be used to replenish the aquifer or underground fresh water supply of the city through rainwater harvesting to fill infiltration wells and similar facilities.

The proposed ordinance provides sanction to the City Engineer’s Office (CEO) and its employees tasked to ensure that the local law is followed with a P5,00 fine for every building that fails to properly install a rainwater harvesting system.

Follow @interaksyon