Last March 7, water services for Metro Manila were suddenly cut-off as the water level from Metro Manila's main water source, La Mesa Dam, reached a critically low level. As explained by David Ekhuemelo in his piece "Importance of Forest and Trees in Sustaining Water Supply and Rainfall" published in the Nigeria Journal of Education, Health and Technology Research, Vol. 8, March, 2016, trees provide some benefits to the water cycle including:

1. the improvement of the water cycle,


2. the reduction of runoff,


3. the improvement of the replenishment of the water table,


4. the filtration of water pollutants, and


5. the control of floods and regulation of stormwater.

By initiating a tree planting activity at Ipo Dam, the body of water directly feeding into La Mesa Dam, the Global Shapers Community from the Manila Hub aims to save Metro Manila's water supply.

Goal: Plant and nurture at least one hectare of forest around the Ipo Dam area