El Niño-ready? These infrastructures in Quezon City collect rainwater

Underneath these basketball courts in Quezon City are water detention basins, which can address flooding and water supply problems

AT A GLANCE

• The Philippines is expected to face widespread drought in early 2027 due to El Niño.
• Quezon City has implemented various water conservation measures, including 122 rainwater collection stations, basketball courts with water detention basins, and a retention pond at Quezon Memorial Circle.

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MANILA, Philippines – Nearly the entire country is expected to experience drought in the first quarter of 2027, threatening water supplies as the Philippines braces for the effects of El Niño.

El Niño is a weather phenomenon in which ocean temperatures rise and disrupt rainfall patterns. In the Philippines, it means less rainfall and higher temperatures, which can cause potential water shortages.

Ahead of this, Quezon City has already built 122 rainwater collection stations with a combined storage capacity of 1.9 million liters.

These are found in 115 schools and at least four government buildings across the city.

The city has also built two basketball courts with detention basins underneath. Each basin can hold a volume of water equivalent to nearly half the capacity of an Olympic-sized swimming pool. This also serves as a flood control measure.

The courts are also equipped with water-harvesting tanks that can store up to 15,000 liters of water. The collected water is filtered and can be used for watering plants and cleaning.

At the Quezon Memorial Circle, a retention pond serves as both a water storage facility and a flood control measure.

The pond can hold 651 cubic meters of water, equivalent to about 3,255 drums with a capacity of 200 liters each. According to the city government, the pond is connected to a tank that supplies water for maintaining plants in the park.

The park also has a misting system that the public can use to cool down.

Quezon City is also building three more rainwater harvesting systems that will have a combined storage capacity of 1.2 million liters.

The city government said its rainwater harvesting systems will not become breeding grounds for dengue-carrying mosquitoes because the storage tanks are covered and equipped with filtration systems to keep the water clean. The retention pond at Quezon Memorial Circle, meanwhile, uses a natural filtration system.

As of October 14, at least 109 cities and municipalities in the Philippines have declared a state of calamity because of the impacts of El Niño.

To address possible water shortage, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. advised the public to buy pails to collect rainwater. Following this, the Department of Social Welfare and Development announced that it will distribute water filtration kits — including pails — to communities vulnerable to El Niño.

According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, 14,434 barangays, or 34% nationwide, are considered “priority intervention zones” for super El Niño.

The Department of Education has also laid out guidelines for schools in anticipation of the impact of El Niño.