Reducing Water Consumption on Campus

The Ateneo de Manila University has always been firm in its commitment to fostering a culture of sustainability and mindful stewardship of the environment. It has taken the necessary steps to ensure that it is moving forward in a direction that develops a sustainable and green campus through daily and strategic choices.

The Ateneo Sustainability Guidelines states that the university “...undertakes programs to reduce water consumption through natural rainwater storage systems, suitable and less water-dependent plants, and water recycling programs.”

The Central Facilities Management Office (CFMO) has implemented various initiatives such as rainwater harvesting, rainwater storage systems, wastewater treatment, and recycling to minimize the University’s overall water footprint. The campus makes use of Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems (DEWATS) and Building Wastewater Treatment Systems (BWATS) to treat sewage. The water from these facilities are then used to irrigate nearby green spaces or clean walkways and driveways. There are also four rainwater detention ponds located around the campus, which reduces the amount of rainwater runoff and decreases reliance on municipal water for irrigation and cleaning.

The CFMO also monitors water consumption and is in charge of ensuring the integrity of infrastructure related to water supply and storage. Total reprocessed/recovered water used — extracted from the creek, recycled from DEWATS, and from rainwater harvesting, was a total of 321,134 cubic meters from May 2019 to April 2020.