MANILA – A study by the World Bank says many
Filipinos have no access to safe drinking water resulting in a multitude of
waterborne diseases that account for more than 500,000 cases of illnesses and
4,200 deaths a year.
The study, “Philippines: Meeting
Infrastructure Challenges,” released a few months ago, says that access to safe
drinking water for the entire nation moved from 81.4 percent in 1999 to 90
percent in 2002. In the rural areas, the scenario is even worse.
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Only about 20 percent of the population
living there have access to piped water supply and household connections. Many
of them rely on self-provision in acquiring water. But the irony is that, whenever
there is water acquired through piped services, its quality is poor and does
not meet government standards of drinking water.
The World Bank said the country loses an
estimated R3.3 billion annually due to expenditures on preventable diseases.
“Avoidable economic losses due to water
pollution alone are estimated at an annual average of R17 billion in fishing
industries and up to R47 billion in tourism," World Bank said.
Lawmaker Augusto H. Baculio admitted that
utilization of water in the country is not regulated.
He spoke during the recent signing of the
Manila declaration on the advancement of
sustainable sanitation and wastewater management.
The event gathered government officials
and other stakeholders and renewed their vows in improving access to water and
sanitation services in the country.
Baculio said there is an undeniable
degradation of the country’s natural water resources, above and below ground
which also poses a threat to the country’s drinking water supply.
This is further aggravated by the fact
that not all households have access to sewerage facilities and some sanitation
service providers are not equipped with adequate sanitation facilities. Thus,
reports of sanitation companies dumping wastes along rivers and in Manila Bay
have earned the concern of the government.
World Bank also warned that if the Philippines
will not improve its solid waste collection and disposal, bodies of water here
will be severely affected.
“The urgency of the program cannot be
underestimated. We might end up with Laguna
Lake as our only source
of clean water," Baculio said.
World Bank acknowledged the improvement
of water supply and sanitation after the privatization of water systems in
Metro Manila with its two concessionaires, the Manila Water Company, Inc. (MWCI)
and Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (MWSI).
However, the study said the rapid
population growth of Filipinos and the increasing demand for water may not be
met by these providers if their services are not improved.
