El Nido’s Water Hole

El Nido’s Water Hole: Utilization in the equation of water management

The issue of water in the summer isn’t simply a concern for not having enough water but also our utilisation of it, the phenomenon of supply and demand. For many homes and small businesses, even with the high cost of having no water, water management systems aren’t in place.

The typical cycle of water concerns during summer is an urgency to respond to the possibility of water scarcity beings (typically in March). As a reaction, storage capacities are increased, water drillers have a backlog of jobs trying to digger deer into the water table for many establishments, and a slight panic begins. Water scarcity kicks in and for a couple of months the town lives with significantly less water….

Then the first rains come announcing the end of dry season. Again, for most, no further preparation for the next dry season is done, rain has come and will be here for the next 5 or 6 months. This excessive rain from wet season brings it’s own problems which in another scramble has its own solutions.

Throughout the process the focus is mainly on the supply of water, with a huge disregard to the utilisation of water. There is an over reliance and an immense pressure no our freshwater sources.

For a 5 minute shower at a rate of 6 litres a minute that’s 30 litres total. For a hotel with 50 guests that’s 1500 litres. Utilisation of this 1500 litres could go further than a shower and the “graywater” can now be used for other water tasks such as watering plants. 2-3% of our water is freshwater, the most precious type.

Efforts to alleviate water insecurity

In the past couple of summers it was not unusual to hear of tourists not being able to shower even at hotels costing over $100 USD a night. Citizens of El Nido simply ask for your consideration when using the water in our community. We also ask our local government for support by creating, enforcing, and regulating policy that affects our waters. Many locals make sacrifices on their own so that we can host visitors from all over the world. Again, how we use our water is as important as how much water we have. We invite you to be responsible guests and global citizens understanding we are tackling the same issues many of you have in your own respective countries.

For the tourist

Limit your shower time and/or turn off running water while soaping and shampooing.
Use foot baths for sandy feet.
Reuse towels, this decreases the laundry load significantly
Don’t let water run unnecessarily when washing hands, showering, or brushing teeth.

For business owners

Create a water audit to check usage
Engage and educate staff on ways to conserve water
Create graywater filters to reuse water for activities that don’t need fresh water
Create educational display materials for guests near water use areas (bathrooms, sinks, wash ares, etc.)
Install water-saving shower heads and faucets
Check water leaks
Laundry- wash only full loads (rather than small loads)
Landscape- plant on slopes with plants that retain water and reduce runoff
Add organic material around flower beds and gardens
Use drip-irrigation systems

For local government

Create incentive programs that help improve regulatory mechanisms ( incentive for whom to do what?) and regulate who in doing what?
Create educational campaigns especially when introducing new policies
Connect with the local community and provide forums for discussion