IN HIS State of the Nation Address last week, President Marcos put a particular focus on the need for a cohesive, centralized and systematic effort towards water security through the creation of a Department of Water Resource Management. He also mentioned that the Executive has an allocation of P14.6 billion for water supply projects that will benefit communities all over the country.
Indeed, the plan to address the organizational fragmentation of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) governance is a welcome development. Congress must support this with a budget allocation that promotes pro-poor access to water, sanitation, and hygiene in the 2024 budget.
According to Social Watch Philippines, 11 million Filipino families still do not have access to clean water and that 905,000 families still practice open defecation due to no access to water, sanitation and hygiene facilities. The National Water Resources Board revealed that these 11 million families still rely on âunprotectedâ deep wells, springs, rivers, lakes, and rainwater.
There is a âwater crisisâ as far as the poor and socially excluded groups are concerned. The Philippines is an archipelagic country. There is so much water and yet many still do not have access to satisfy their basic WASH needs. Equitable access to WASH facilities needs to be ensured.
Affordability is seen as a big factor as to why the majority of families still do not have access to piped water in their homes. Local government unit-run and private water utilities require houses to pay about P4,000 to P7,000 to be connected. This may still go up depending on the location of the house.
Water providers from the private sector, while they often provide good quality service, may not always be affordable for more economically disadvantaged groups. The government needs to step in and undertake their developmental duty to enhance the welfare, well-being and dignity of these groups.
Aside from the costs of connectivity, urban areas in informal settler communities that have no permanent water and sanitation facilities bear the brunt of the high costs of water for drinking and domestic use.
Public investment in equitable access to clean water and sanitation facilities for all people is an urgently-needed investment in social development, as a wide range of food and water-borne diseases can be prevented by WASH services that reach the poor Filipinos.
