Water

Country Water Action: Philippines
Bringing Potable Water to the Far-Flung Islands of the Philippines

Rural communities in the Philippine archipelago, particularly those in small island provinces, generally have inadequate access to safe drinking water. On average, two thirds of the population in such areas lack access to potable water. This proportion is markedly higher than the Asian average of one in three people lacking access to clean drinking water. In some Philippine provinces, the reported coverage is even lower.

A typical scene in these islands is women walking to the river, carrying their clothes stacked in a batya,¹ with their bar of laundry soap. They walk long distances, sometimes slipping on rocks in the process, but they go on. They wash their family’s clothes and bathe in the river. The trip back home is more daunting because the wet clothes are much heavier. Sometimes it is not a batya that the women lug around, but two water pails. Other times children carry these pails, and whether the water is from the river or a far-away hand pump, vast distances must be traveled. Such weight on fragile bones does proven harm to these growing children.

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To bring water to the underserved rural areas in the island provinces, the Philippine Government developed the Integrated Water Supply Program for 1986–2000, which accorded high priority to serving communities outside major urban areas. The Second Island Provinces Rural Water Supply Sector Project,⁵ a month in 12 installments. Metered use of water is generally efficient.

Notable also was the high accountability in areas where hand pump facilities were built on private land. In such cases, the landowners themselves usually handled repairs and routine maintenance. One of them said “It is easy to maintain and repair the hand pump—the parts are cheap. I don’t mind doing these tasks because the users in this neighborhood are my friends. We are the ones who use the bubun [handpump] anyway.”

Mr. Urcia used to be a water vendor and would spend several hours a day collecting water, and many more hours selling it in the village. Now that water is more accessible to his community, his services are no longer needed, but Mr. Urcia is pleased nonetheless. “Now that I sell fruit instead of water, I have more time for other things, and I don’t have any more backaches. I can spend more time with my old mother and take better care of her.”

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By the time the project was completed, the targets for the construction of deep and shallow wells had been achieved and almost all the 500 existing wells had been rehabilitated. The project developed 350 spring water sources, exceeding the original target of 300. Although not required, about 10 rain collectors were also built.

The project was aimed at providing 15 liters of water per person per day (lpcd). It reduced the distance that people had to travel for fetching water from an average of 240 meters (m) before the project (40 m more than the ADB goal for the region) to 50 m. Beneficiaries thus had more time for economic activities such as raising livestock and selling local candies. Some households in Guimaras and Quezon provinces reported earning a monthly average of about P500–P2,000 per household from such activities.

Rather than working longer hours on income-producing activities, other households used the time saved to fetch more water. This increased daily consumption by 15–36 liters per person, resulting in improved hygiene, and fewer cases of water-related diseases such as diarrhea and diseases caused by common viruses.

A survey revealed that roughly 30% of those using public taps complained that the water was unfit for drinking.⁶ This is probably why users in these areas refuse to pay or delay payment; other users are generally willing to pay for quality water services.

In 78% of the cases, the project succeeded in bringing potable water to people at a lower price. Some interviewees indicated that they used to pay P3 per container from water vendors before the project facilities were built. They were thus spending P270 per month.⁷ After the project, the water fees fell to P5–P20 per household per month—a savings of P250–P265 for families whose monthly incomes range from P2,000–P4,000.

The communities also noted other benefits such as a greater sense of bayanihan;⁸ awareness of responsibility for operating and maintaining water facilities; self-reliance; and the assurance of having a safe, convenient, and operational water supply system.

In many cases, the schemes did not cover operation and maintenance costs and depreciation. Especially in the smaller schemes, where fee collection was inadequate, users contributed money for repairs. However, the Sagay City water district was able to achieve sound management and an improving financial situation. Since 1997, when the current rates were established in 1997, the district has been able to repay an inherited debt of P600,000.

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• Greater dialogue with the beneficiaries could have built mutual trust and allowed beneficiaries to express their needs and concerns. Some households may prefer to use a water pump at their doorstep, rather than a house connection because the water pump also gives them a chance to socialize.
• Foresight must be used when designing the water system to avoid the cycle of poor service, dissatisfaction, poor payment, and deterioration. Furthermore, the design and scope of the water systems must also be forward-looking to accommodate the projected demand of growing populations.
• Creativity and innovation decrease costs. In some areas, bamboo pipes were used in an updated design of a hand pump to bring water to a pig farm. In addition, sap from a local plant was used instead of chemical reagents. These materials are equally effective and can be obtained easily and inexpensively. Such innovation should be encouraged.
• The hand pumps and shallow wells must be built away from septic tanks in the area, and soil conditions must be carefully considered. Reports indicate that septic tanks were constructed (not for this project) without sealed bottoms and using porous concrete blocks, resulting in the pollution of groundwater. The septic tanks must be better constructed, and the public should be taught to maintain these facilities. In addition, the use of dry latrines should be encouraged, as they are easier to manage and do not pollute shallow groundwater sources. The sludge from dry latrines also makes excellent fertilizer.
• End-users should be made aware of the importance of hygiene and the safety of drinking water. They should be informed that the use of open tanks for storage and other practices such as bathing and washing clothes in the river can contaminate their drinking water. Public awareness and education is a critical component of any similar project.
• The public, especially government engineers, should be informed that deep coastal wells are a poor investment as they disturb the balance between freshwater and saltwater, and result in brackish water unfit for consumption.
• To obtain better quality-water, point sources must be tested more frequently Futhermore, the facilities must be maintained well with to achieve long-term sustainability; quick fixes prove to be much more costly in the long run.