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

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. WATER DETENTION.

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte inaugurates a basketball court with water detention in Gloria 2 Subdivision in Barangay Tandang Sora, Quezon City, on July 8, 2026. Photo by Quezon City government 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. WATER DETENTION. Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte inaugurates a water detention pond at Quezon Memorial Circle on July 26, 2026. Photo by Mayor Joy Belmonte The park also has a misting system…