Gov’t finalizing roadmap for water sector

The National Water Resources Board (NWRB) is putting the finishing touches to the Philippine Water Supply Sector Roadmap that will serve as a guide to the reforms in the water sector.

The road map will be unveiled in June this year in time for the Environment Month.

Once described as suffering from fragmented planning and implementation, overlapping agency mandates, and inadequate coordination, the water supply sector is being overhauled by Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Jose L. Atienza.

The proposed reforms are designed to deliver clean and safe water to local households.

 “The ultimate beneficiaries of this water supply sector roadmap are the Filipino people, who have long wanted greater access to safe and adequate water supply. Eighteen Filipinos are dying each day due to lack of access to clean water and proper sanitation. Having clean and safe water will enable them to attain sustainable economic development,” Atienza said.

The roadmap of Philippine water supply development is a product of collaborative efforts among various government and non-government agencies.

The roadmap will guide National Government agencies, financing institutions, local government units, and water service providers in the implementation of water supply sector initiatives for the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).

“A lot of our countrymen take water for granted. They are not aware that many areas in the country are now experiencing a shortage in water supply and that the problem will worsen if we do not act now to stop the degradation of our water sources. We must face the water supply problem head on by joining our acts together to address this environmental issue,” Atienza emphasized.

A World Bank report said that on the average, water districts serve only 68 percent of the population in their franchise areas.

Areas that are not served by water districts are either served by private and community-based water systems such as water cooperatives and associations, or households resort to self-provisioning from shallow and deep wells.

These utilities are often very small with varying levels of service.

“We cannot survive without clean water, for this reason the DENR’s battle cry and theme in marking this year’s World Water Day is “Ang Tubig ay Yaman at Buhay,” which aptly explains that we still can do something concrete to revive our water sources,” Atienza said.