FLASHFLOOD has become a regular occurrence in Iloilo City. Is this our new normal?
Extreme weather events, such as intense or more frequent rains and increasing number of hot days, along with weak resource management are factors that lead to low water security. Water, indeed, significantly affects our lives. When it is everywhere (flood) and when it is nowhere (drought), we have serious problems.
For urban water security such as in Iloilo City, water supply and allocation, flooding, and mixing of sewage water with domestic water are the main challenges.
To strengthen resilience to water-related disasters, the country needs to evaluate existing programs to combat desertification and prevent flooding, and improve its evacuation strategies, early warning systems and disaster risk reduction and management plans.
Water is a basic need yet it is a resource that we have taken for granted. Perhaps the seeming abundance of it—as the Earth is composed of two-thirds water—creates a sense of complacency without realizing that of all the world’s water, only 0.5 percent is suitable for human consumption.
We have various statistics on clean water and sanitation but the United States Agency for International Development estimates that more than three million Filipino families still have no access to safe water supply; 337 municipalities in 10 poorest provinces are still waterless.
Moreover, water affects our food security as agriculture accounts for 70-85 percent of our water consumption.
But water security is not only about the provision of sufficient water for the needs of our people and our economic activities, it is also about having healthy ecosystems and building resilience to water-related disasters, including storms, floods and droughts.
A study by the World Resources Institute revealed that the Philippines will likely experience severe water shortage by 2040 due to the combined impact of rapid population growth and climate change. Furthermore, the Philippines ranks 57 out of 167 countries that are highly vulnerable to severe water shortage.
In the context of climate change, water management is very crucial. We have witnessed several times how extreme weather events such as stronger rains and storms have caused massive inundation, claiming lives and destroying livelihoods.
Water stress, amplified by climate change, will create a growing challenge to our survival. We need a water master plan so we can control water, instead of water controlling us.
