By Almira Louise S. Martinez, Reporter
LITHOS Manufacturing is promoting its rainwater harvesting and storage system as households and communities prepare for a stronger El Niño that could strain water supplies.
“El Niño reminds us how we are vulnerable as communities from water scarcity,” Lithos Manufacturing founder and Chief Executive Officer Eleanor M. Olegario told BusinessWorld in a Zoom interview.
“At least we have some of these tools to help our people to really store water,” she added.
Lithos manufactures Rainfold, a foldable rainwater storage tank equipped with a filtration system that allows users to collect water from rooftops.
The system includes a leaf catcher, a flush diverter and filtration components designed to remove heavy metals, improve water quality and reduce contaminants.
Water collected through the system can be used for laundry, washing, bathing and flushing. Additional treatment could make it suitable for drinking, the company said.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration has said a strong El Niño is active and could intensify, prompting concerns about water availability in the coming months.
Ms. Olegario said households could start collecting and storing rainwater during periods of rainfall to build reserves before drier conditions emerge.
“Instead of not doing anything, we can reserve water now,” she said. “Come January, we are prepared to have at least a minimal volume of water that we were able to store in time for El Niño.”
A 1,000-liter tank can be filled using runoff from a 600- to 800-square-meter roof area after several rainfall events.
“At this time, I think we have a typhoon coming, so we should store water,” Ms. Olegario said. “Our homes should have storage for rainwater, similar to what the dams are doing for us.”
The company said a fully filled tank could cover the general water requirements of a family of five for up to 13 days.
Lithos has deployed 31 Rainfold units nationwide and is aiming to increase installations by year-end.
“Hopefully here in Luzon, where we manufacture the tanks, we can get more orders lined up,” Ms. Olegario said. “Hopefully we can reach 100 units or maybe 200 more by December.”
The company is exploring wider deployment of the system in communities as it seeks to expand adoption of rainwater harvesting solutions.
