WWCH PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

Problem Title

Groundwater Over-Extraction and Depletion in Cavite, Philippines

Problem and Solution Provider Information

CIVWARE Section and Group Name EH WILKIDS

Problem Information

1. Basic Information

Cavite is a province in the Philippines located on the southern shores of Manila Bay in
the Calabarzon region on Luzon island. The province of Cavite is subdivided into three
parts which are Lowland Areas, Central Hilly Areas, and Upland Areas. And divided into
7 districts. While having 6 major river watersheds namely, The Bacoor River Watershed,
Imus River Watershed, San Juan River Watershed, Canas River Watershed, Labac River
Watershed, and Maragondon River Watershed. These river systems generally flows from
the highlands of Tagaytay and Maragondon to Manila Bay. Numerous springs, waterfalls
and rivers found in the upland areas of the province, have been developed for tourism. In
the lowland areas, hundreds of artesian wells and deep wells provide water supply for
both residential and irrigation purposes.The areas near ocean are classified into lowland
areas, and areas near to the center of cavite is classified as Central Hilly Areas, and areas
farthest from the ocean are classified as the Upland Areas as stated earlier.
 Figure 7.(District Map of Cavite) From PGCMC

Figure 2.(Population Current statistics on the region of Cavite) from PGCMC

 Figure 3. (Projected Population Of Cavite Province 2012-
2040) From PGCMC

Cavite Province leads as the country’s most populous province in the last seven years,
surpassing previous topnotchers Cebu and Pangasinan, as National Statistics Office
(NSO) records show. Records from the Provincial Population Office (PPO) shows that
Cavite’s population this year, reaching 4, 822, 582, is twice as big compared to the year
2000. PPO pegged the population growth at 4.12 percent. By 2020, the province’s
population is estimated to reach 4, 822, 582 (Greenpeace, 2007).

2. Water circumstances

(current water demand statistics)

Figure 4.(Projected Water Demand by All sectors)

 Figure 5.(Water Consumption of Municipalities in Cavite)

Total recoverable groundwater potential is about 572 MLD while the total surface water
available is 45 MLD or a total of 617 MLD. This translates into a deficit of 51 MLD by
2020 for domestic water alone.It is estimated that the current supply from
groundwater will be sufficient only up to 2018 (Sedigo 2017).

Figure 6.(Water and Supply Demand Analysis for the Cavite)

As you can see from Figure 6. We can establish that district 7 and 6 has a surplus of
water supply compared to districts 1, 2, 3 4, and 5. While districts 1,2,3 and 4 has a
negative water supply which could only mean their demand is much more bigger then
supply. Master Plan on Water Resource Management in the Philippines estimate that
only 1,907 cubic meters of fresh water would be available to each person each year,
making the Philippines second to the lowest among Southeast Asian countries with fresh
water availability (Sedigo, 2017).
3. Problem Description

The population in Cavite continuously increases, while the amount of available water
supply decreases. Approximately 96% of the water supply comes from groundwater
resources and the remaining 4% comes from rain and surface water. The rate of
extraction of groundwater in the area is higher than the rate of recharge. This induces a
strain in the current water supply system in and if left unsolved, would result to a lack of
supply.
The groundwater of Cavite comes from the six (6) watersheds that drain into the aquifers
in its subsurface. These watersheds include the Bacoor River watershed, Imus River
watershed, San Juan River watershed, and Cañas River watershed, Labac River
watershed, and the Maragondon River watershed. Another source that drains into the
aquifers is the rainfall from the Tagaytay ridge. Due to its location uphill, the waters that
infiltrate the area would move downwards and are stored in the aquifers in Cavite.
However, the increase of urbanization in the area decreased the amount of precipitation
that infiltrates the ground. This significantly decreased the amount of recharge in the
aquifers of Cavite.
The population of Cavite was recorded to have doubled within the 15-year span between
2000 and 2015. As of June 2018, the population in Cavite was recorded to be 3,678,301.
The fastest growing LGU is Trece Martires City, followed by Imus City, the municipality
of Carmona, and General Trias City. The population is expected to increase within the
following years due to the low-cost housing projects of the government located around
Cavite. The rapid increase in populated also greatly increased the water demand of the
area. The continuous extraction of groundwater in order to meet these growing demands
is proving to be more difficult to cope up with.
An estimate of more than 50% of the aquifers are depleted due to over extraction and
saltwater intrusion. A study conducted in 2015 showed that the province of Cavite was
already short in water supply by 1,200 million liters/day (MLD). The total water demand
in 2015 was measured to be 1,777 MLD, while the total amount of water that was
recoverable from the aquifers was 618 MLD. The trend of the population increase in the
province shows that the expected water demand by 2040 is 2,845 MLD. The rate at
which the groundwater is being used up shows that it would run out by 2019.
The water demand of Cavite is primarily due to agriculture, since it is a predominantly
agricultural province. As of June 2018, the 40,444 ha of land were recorded to be used as
farm land. The continuous extraction decreases the groundwater elevation by
approximately 1 meter per year. It is believed that the groundwater levels are 15 to 50
meters below its level back in 1990.
 WWCH SOLUTION DESCRIPTION
Solution Title

Rainwater Harvesting for Groundwater Recharge Wells in Tagaytay

Summary

Type a summary of the solution into this form up to 500 words in length.
* Describe your understanding of problem and focal point of solution in no more than
500 words.

The groundwater levels in the Cavite province have been continuously lowering due to
the incessant extraction of water. Since the province is reliant on groundwater, it faces a
problem of water supply deficit. The factors that affect the lack of water include the
rapid development of the area, increasing population, and saltwater intrusion. The
urbanization of the area increases the impervious surfaces, causing for the rain to turn
into runoff instead of infiltrates.
A possible solution would be to use a rainwater harvesting system for groundwater
recharge wells in Tagaytay. Tagaytay is one of the highest points in Cavite and
experiences the most precipitation. The collection of rainwater to be pumped into the
aquifers would decrease runoff volumes and salinity in the aquifer, while increasing the
water supply in the Cavite province.

Describe the case study (research, idea) or previous application (project name, region,
budget, period, description, etc.) of your solution.
Evaluation Criteria should be thoroughly reviewed and reflected. (refer to the guideline
for details)

Sustainability is the consumption of resources to meet the demands of society while not
totally depleting them, maintaining an ecological balance, and not compromising the
next generation’s ability to meet their own demands. The concept of sustainability can be
utilized through rainwater harvesting. It is simply the collection and storage of rainfall
from the surfaces on which they fall, usually from building roofs. Rainwater harvesting
techniques include the redirecting of the rainwater that falls on roofs to gutters that lead
to storage tanks. The rainfall collected could be used to recharge the groundwater within
Cavite through pumpage, and hence avoid its depletion. (Sustainable Earth
Technologies, n.d.)
Rainfall harvesting can be as simple as the system shown in Figure 7. This is the most
economical and easiest way to install in homes. Barrels are simply installed underneath
the downspout of the gutter on the roof so that the rain that falls on the roof is funneled
into the barrels. (What is rainwater harvesting?, n.d.)

Figure 7. Rainwater barrels for rainwater harvesting

Moreover, for replenishing groundwater systems, rainfall can be collected and funneled
directly to recharge wells. A recharge well is constructed usually with a one-meter
diameter and six meters deep as part of the pavement. As seen on Figure 8, a pipe can be
installed as such which would let in water coming from the catchment. (Methods of
Rainwater Harvesting, n.d.)

Enduraplas, a US-based company that specializes in liquid management equipment

offers a basic and advanced rainfall harvesting systems for homes. The total costs,
including roof gutters, tanks, pipes and fittings amount to roughly USD 2,225 for basic
systems and USD 11,353 for advanced systems. (Firth, 2018)
 Figure 8. A recharge well with an inlet pipe

The purpose of a recharge well is to divert rainfall and excess runoff from surfaces (e.g.
roads, garden areas) for groundwater recharge. It is lined with concrete rings that have
perforations, allowing seepage of the water surrounding it, topped with a concrete or
steel cover. They can be constructed without extending the groundwater as seen on
Figure 7. In this case, the water the well collects would be slowly replenishing the
groundwater table. On the other hand, as seen in Figure 8, a recharge well can also
extend to the groundwater table. Out of the two, the first application would be more
suitable for the groundwater system in Cavite, as it would be both economical and
practical given their current situation. (The Alternative, 2013)

The city Bengaluru, India, recently launched their ‘A Million Recharge Wells’ project.
The city has already lost four fifths of their water bodies within the past two decades.
This project includes both the utilization of rainwater harvesting and recharge wells that
could potentially increase the rainfall that reaches aquifers from 10% to 60%. The cost of
constructing these wells ranges from INR 8,000 to 12,000, which is around PHP 5,901 to
8851.50, which also translates to USD 111.23 to 166.85, depending on the diameter and
depth. (Shekhar, 2018)
 Figure 9. A recharge well not extending to the groundwater table

Figure 10. A recharge well extending to the groundwater table

Tagaytay is one of the highest points in the Cavite province and is the area that
experiences the greatest amount of rainfall. The Tagaytay Ridge used to be the medium
of transport between rainfall and the groundwater. Due to its high elevation, the
rainwater that infiltrates the ground would be able to travel downwards to the aquifers of
Cavite. The usage of a rainwater harvesting system would promote a sustainable and
effective means of recharging the groundwater. The urbanization in Tagaytay decreases
the amount of water that infiltrates the soil. Instead of allowing the rain to turn into
runoff, it would be used to recharge the groundwater. This would help decrease the
runoff volumes and it would also help increase the groundwater levels. The recharge of
groundwater would also lessen the salinity in the aquifers.

The high elevation of Tagaytay would allow the water to be filtered in the soil before it
reaches the groundwater. Using this, the incorporation of a complex filtration system
would not be needed. The rainwater harvesting system should be implemented in the
areas of Cavite with high precipitation levels. Tagaytay is a good location, since it offers
both a large volume of precipitation and a means of delivering the rainwater into the
aquifers.

The average annual precipitation in Tagaytay is approximately 2941 mm. Precipitation

varies 382 between the driest and wettest month. The wettest months are from October to
February, while the driest months are from March to August. The water demand is
expected to increase during the summer and holidays. The rainwater can be collected and
stored during the wet months, in preparation for the dry months.

The average elevation of Tagaytay is 610 meters above sea level, while its highest point
(Mount Sungay) is at 709 meters. The high elevations in Tagaytay result in cool
temperatures, which averages 27.1 oC annually.

(sustainability)
(rainwater harvesting)
(rainfall data of cavite)
(price for recharge wells)
(groundwater recharge wells)
(existing groundwater locations/possible locations?)

(using rainwater to recharge groundwater)

(effects of the solution: reduction in runoff, increase in groundwater surcharge, decrease

in the salinity of the groundwater)

Additional Information (Optional)

 You can attach additional supporting documents such as article, background
information about previous activities, publications, reports, videos, photos or any other
material that provides relevant information on your solution.

References:

The Alternative. (2013, February 26). Recharge wells and why we need them | The Alternative.
Retrieved from http://www.thealternative.in/lifestyle/recharge-wells-and-why-we-
need-them/

Firth, M. (2018, March 13). How Much Does A Water Collection System Cost?
Retrieved from http://blog.enduraplas.com/water-storage-rain-harvesting/how-
much-does-a-water-collection-system-cost

Greenpeace. (2007). The state of water resources in the Philippines. Retrieved

from http://www.greenpeace.org/seasia/ph/Global/seasia/report/2007/10/the-state-
of-water-in-the-phil.pdf

Lakshmi, K. (2018, July 1). Recharge wells: solution to flooding and water scarcity. Retrieved
from https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/recharge-wells-solution-to-
flooding-and-water-scarcity/article24303180.ece

Methods of Rainwater Harvesting -Components, Transport and Storage. (2017, September 17).
Retrieved from https://theconstructor.org/water-resources/methods-of-rainwater-
harvesting/5420/

Recharge Wells. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.hinren.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2&Ite
mid=209

Sedigo, N. A. (2007.). Cavite’s Impending Water Crisis: An Analysis. Retrieved

from http://www.theorchardgolf.com/wp-
 content/uploads/2017/04/12_2017PGCMC_Cavites-Impending-Water-
Crisis_Prof-Sedigo.pdf

Shekhar, D. (2018, April 16). A million recharge wells' hopes to raise Bengaluru's groundwater.
Retrieved from https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/a-
million-recharge-wells-hopes-to-raise-bengalurus-
groundwater/articleshow/63780022.cms

What is Rainwater harvesting? Rainwater Harvesting Methods and Techniques. (n.d.). Retrieved
from https://www.sustainable.com.au/rainwater-harvesting