Water Demand in the Philippines

The population of Manila has increased sharply in recent decades, and so has its demand for water. Right now, about 97% of metro Manila’s water comes from the Angat reservoir, located north of the city in Bulacan Province (map). The reservoir also serves farmers in Bulacan, who rely on irrigation water to grow their palay (unmilled rice) and vegetables, and it is a critical source of back-up hydroelectric power for the region.

Everything runs smoothly in years of normal rainfall. But when the region gets below-normal rainfall-as is typically the case during an El Niño–the situation gets contentious. Continue reading »

southeast asia route

The map below shows the rough itinerary of my upcoming trip to the Philippines and Indonesia. I’ll be going there with a few of my colleagues to report on the climate-risk management projects IRI had been involved in. If you’re a journalist based in the area and are interested in writing about climate-change adaptation, please contact me using my @gmail.com address- – francesco.fiondella

View AsiaPac Trip 2008 in a larger map