TUBIG Pilipinas, a subsidiary of Pure Energy Holdings Corp., said young engineers can be the driving force that will help secure lasting water supply to far-flung communities.
Elsa Mejia, Tubig Pilipinas advisor, said future engineers can bring a strong influence on matters concerning the country’s water resources amid an increasingly complex set of challenges.
“Young engineers can scale up water utilities and secure potable water systems by raising awareness and capacity to solve the country’s risks from lowering water supply and by changing our approach to bringing long-lasting water security to various communities,” she said during the Engineering Beyond Borders conference organized by the Engineering College Government of the De La Salle University (DLSU).
Mejia, a former World Bank consultant for water vending, said engineers today can view water security more proactively and engage in a deeper way from a completely different vantage point considering the available technology.
“We have to stress the importance of water,” Mejia said. “Our technologies today can support the upkeep of potable drinking water for all Filipinos.”
“Not many of us realize how much work and investment are needed to supplying clean drinking water and we need to continue to stand ready to provide critical infrastructure in the countryside where we can add value,” she added.
Mejia mentioned that young engineers can also provide underprivileged communities access to sustainable, potable and safe water by scaling up supply.
Tubig Pilipinas is a utility company focused on providing clean potable water to communities.
Meanwhile, Victor Lee, CFO of Pure Energy presented before DLSU students and other delegates the feasibility of microhydropower systems and its potential for development.
Lee said that, while microhydropower can generate electricity for some provinces, it is difficult to maintain because of poor accountability of some cooperatives owing to the organizational nature of microhydropower projects and the lack of financing.
“But with the government support and public investments, we can maximize and invest in renewables and give greater importance and priority to microscale hydropower projects,” he said.
Lee also discussed the various technologies in hydropower generation and its potential application in underdeveloped communities, where electricity problem is most persistent.
Lee said: “There is a need for financing options to generate renewable energy and, at the same time, help the natural environment with modern and sustainable technology at a microscale. We hope to be able to encourage individuals and young Filipino engineers to come up with cheaper technologies for hydropower and also help the nation to produce renewable energy at reduced prices.”