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Philippines
Clean, Accessible Water Raises Health and Productivity in Mindanao
by Ramoncito dela Cruz

Naawan, Philippines – The southern Philippine island of Mindanao has abundant water resources, yet many of its residents still do not have easy access to potable water in their homes. The Mindanao Basic Urban Services Sector Project - funded by a loan of US$336,958.84 from ADB to the Land Bank of the Philippines – is helping change that.

"We used to fetch water from a creek two kilometers away from our home,” said Geralyn Emperado of Naawan town, in the province of Misamis Oriental. This was particularly difficult for children, who often help to fetch water in such situations.

Small children also developed rashes and other skin blemishes, because the river where they bathed was not always clean. "Sometimes there would be some buffaloes doing their thing upstream," as Emperado rather delicately put it.

But now, she is sure that the water coming out of the tap is clean and will flow 24 hours a day - helping her care for her three-year-old son and two-month-old baby.

"It's a great convenience for me, especially after giving birth," said Emperado. "I need clean water to bathe; my baby also needs clean water."

Naawan, a town of around 20,000, has benefited from the project, which provides funds for various community-based initiatives such as water supply systems, transport terminals, and public markets in several towns across the island.

Clear Water, Satisfied Customers

In neighboring Manticao, Julieto Vicariato said the "beer-colored" water coming out of his water pump had turned many customers off his roadside eatery.

"We couldn't serve it to our guests and customers, even if tests had shown that the water was actually safe to drink," he said. "It ruined our business."

To provide clean water for drinking and laundry, Vicariato would hike to the creek several times himself to fill eight containers of water per day, or would pay somebody to fetch water from the town center.

"Of course, I'm happy now," he said, after the project extended the water supply line to his village in 2005. "My daily life is not as burdensome as it was before. And there are more customers coming here to eat."

Accessible Water, Active Communities

In Mahayahay Village in the province of Davao del Sur, the local government, with assistance from ADB's Agrarian Reform Communities Project, installed communal taps that made people's lives easier.

"We used to trek to the creek very early in the morning to get our drinking water. We would go back in the afternoon to do our laundry," said Estrella Zafra, 55. A one-way trek would take 30 minutes to one hour, depending on the condition of the trail.

"My legs and neck would be sore," Zafra said, from navigating the hilly terrain balancing heavy buckets of water on her head. The hike was even more difficult during the rainy season when the path became slippery with mud.

Children had to wake up early to fetch water and go back again in the afternoon for another round, leaving them little time to study, neighbors said.

Fetching water was also time-consuming because people had to wait for their turn to fill their buckets. Sometimes fights would break out because of the long wait.

"It was really a waste of time," said Zafra.

But with water in communal taps near their homes, people in this village now have more time to engage in productive activities.

Children study, while adults tend small vegetable gardens. Zafra plants okra, eggplants, tomatoes, and peppers in her vegetable patch. She sells the vegetables to augment her meager family income.

"Most of all," Zafra said, gleefully, "I now have more time to play with my grandchild."