As Filipinos worry over the distinct possibility of a looming water crisis, a recent Social Weather Stations survey found that only 67 percent of households in the country have access to piped or running water, affecting an estimated 17 million out of 25 million households.
The United Nations recognizes access to water and sanitation as a human right, and as we worry over a potential water shortage, there are already 8 million households in the country that have been experiencing their own water crisis, which is something that has to be addressed as soon as possible.
The Department of Agriculture recently revived the inter-agency task force to address the possible impact of the El Niño phenomenon, especially on the agriculture sector, after at least 16 provinces were projected to be severely hit by drought.
Meanwhile, in Metro Manila, the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System gave the assurance that there will be no water crisis in 2023, but admitted that they cannot confirm or deny the warning of former MWSS chairman Ramon Alikpala that a crisis was likely next year.
It seems that we are always on the edge of a water-related crisis. Either we have too much of it during the wet season, or not enough during the dry season. As of now, water is something that we lack, it is simply a resource that we aren’t managing well enough, and that is why a water crisis always seems to be on the horizon.
In Negros Occidental, the provincial government is set to embark public private partnership for a bulk water project that aims to tap the surface water of the Embang and Malogo rivers as a sustainable source of potable water for water districts and consumers. Hopefully this proactive measure is followed up with a concerted effort to provide running water and sanitation to as many as possible, along with a focus on the sustainability of this precious resource that we here in Negros are still fortunate to have available.*
