Senator Grace Poe sees preparations being made by water regulators and concessionaires during the dry season are more effective if adequate policies are in place.

This, as Poe welcomed the assurance made by the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) that it has prepared extensively for El Niño.

“This is a welcome news to consumers who have to grapple with the water shortage yearly when rains fall short,” Poe said in a statement.

“The preparations of our water regulator and concessionaires during the dry months should be complemented by proper policies in place to spare our people from the brunt of the perennial water crisis,” she added.

With this, the lawmaker reiterated her call for the passage of the bill that will create the Department of Water Resources.

Poe said this will “lead and consolidate a whole-of-society efforts for the comprehensive and integrated development and management of water resources.”

“We need this new body amid the rising demand for water with the population growth and increasing commercial activities,” she said.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is set to create a task force through an executive order that would focus on the country’s preparedness against El Niño, which is expected to hit the country in the first half of 2024.

The dry season, which is forecast to start this month and will peak in April 2024, is expected to affect almost the entire country. (PNA)