Marikina Ilog-Nayan Festival 2006 joins UNESCO’s Decade of Water

The three-day Ilog Nayan Festival 2006 in Marikina (March 13, 15 and 16) includes a forum on "The Great River", lectures and discussions of resource speakers from UNESCO and a cultural show. The first module focuses on the importance of water and the river based on Montessori impressionistic charts the size of one-and-a-half plywood: A Drop of Water is Filled with Hundreds of Creatures; Water Covers Three-fourths of the Globe; Depths of the Seas Compared to the Heights of Mountains; The Great River; Rivers Bring Limestone into the Sea to Build Coral Islands; and Pollution of Rivers. Students of the Operation Brotherhood Montessori Professional High School spontaneously discuss these with the audience.

The second module, a photo exhibit on the history of Marikina and its river, is explained by highly respected sages of the town (local historians) Dr. Cesar Santos and Prof. Rodolfo dela Paz. The third module, a diorama of the Marikina River, is discussed by high school students from Marikina.

Among the UNESCO resource speakers: UNESCO Marine Science Vice Chairperson and Philippine representative to MAB (Man and the Biosphere) Paris, Dr. Virginia Cariño talked about "Students and the Marikina River"; UNESCO Marine Science Chairman and PAG-ASA Weather Service Chief, Dr. Rolu Encarnacion — "The Weather and How it Affects Rivers"; NISMED Director Dr. Merle Tan — "Rivers are our Lifeline"; Lt. Commander Herbert Catapang of NAMRIA - "Mapping and Charting"; and Phivolcs Science Research Specialist Mr. Raymond Patrick Maximo — "Earthquake and the Marikina Valley Fault Line".

Water, a shared responsibility

The most comprehensive assessment to date of freshwater resources will be presented by UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura to the media in Mexico City during the 4th World Water Forum today. Entitled "Water, a Shared Responsibility" this focuses on the importance of governance in managing the world’s water resources and tackling poverty.

Governance systems, it says, "determine who gets what water, when and how, and decide who has the right to water and related services." Such systems are not limited to ‘government,’ but include local authorities, the private sector and civil society.

WHO / UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme

WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme estimates indicate that 1.1 billion people still do not have access to an adequate supply of drinking water and some 2.6 billion do not have access to basic sanitation. These people are among the world’s poorest. Over half of them live in China, India and sub-Saharan Africa. At this rate of progress, they will not meet the UNMDG (Millennium Development Goal) of halving, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water, and basic sanitation.

According to the World Water report, "Poor water quality is a key cause of poor livelihood and health." Globally, diarrheal diseases and malaria killed about 3.1 million people in 2002. Ninety percent of these deaths were children under the age of five. An estimated 1.6 million lives could be saved annually by providing access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene.

Water quality is declining in most regions. Evidence indicates that the diversity of freshwater species and ecosystems is deteriorating rapidly, often faster than terrestrial and marine ecosystems. The report points out that the hydrological cycle, upon which life depends, needs a healthy environment to function.

When water destroys

Ninety percent of natural disasters are water-related events. Many are the result of poor land use. The tragic and developing drought in East Africa, where there has been huge felling of forests for charcoal production and fuel wood, is a poignant example. The report also cites the case of Lake Chad in Africa, which has shrunk by some 90 percent since the 1960s, mainly because of overgrazing, deforestation and large unsustainable irrigation projects.

Two out of every five people now live in areas vulnerable to floods and rising sea levels. The nations most at risk include Bangladesh, China, India, the Netherlands, Pakistan, the Philippines, the United States of America and the small island developing states. The report stresses that changing climate patterns will further exacerbate the situation.

Freshwater ‘harvest’ Water as ENERGY source

Over two billion people in developing countries do not have access to reliable forms of energy. Water is a key resource for energy generation, which in turn is vital for economic development. Europe makes use of 75 percent of its hydropower potential. Africa – where 60 percent of the population has no access to electricity — has developed only seven percent of its potential.

In many places of the world, a colossal 30 to 40 percent or more of water goes unaccounted for, through water leakages in pipes and canals and illegal connections.

Corruption, the major cause of water scarcity

Although there are no accurate figures, it is estimated that political corruption costs the water sector millions of dollars every year and undermines water services, especially to the poor. The report cites a survey in India, in which 41 percent of the customer respondents had made more than one small bribe in the past six months to falsify meter readings; 30 percent had made payments to expedite repair work and 12 percent had made payments to expedite new water and sanitation connections.

No wonder because financial resourcing for water is staggering. According to the report, total Official Development Assistance (ODA) to the water sector in recent years has averaged approximately US$3 billion a year with an additional US$1.5 billion allocated to the sector in non-concessional lending, mainly by the World Bank. However, only a small proportion (12 percent) of these funds reach those most in need. And only about 10 percent is directed to support the development of water policy, planning and programs.

The Johannesburg Plan of making freshwater play a vital part in human security

Recognizing the vital part freshwater plays in human security and development, the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, adopted by member states and the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, 2002), called on countries to develop integrated water resources management and water efficiency plans by 2005.

Private sector investment in water services is declining. During the 1990s the private sector spent an estimated US$25 billion in water supply and sanitation in developing countries, mostly in Latin America and Asia. However, many big multinational water companies have begun withdrawing from or downsizing their operations in the developing world because of the high political and financial risks.

Although their performance has often failed to meet the expectations of developing country governments and donor countries, the report stresses that it "would be a mistake" to write off the private sector. Financially strained governments with weak regulations "are a poor alternative for addressing the issue of poor water resources management and inadequate supplies of water services".

Ability to meet global demand depends on good management of resources

Water usage increased six-fold during the 20th century, twice the rate of population growth. Our ability to meet the continually increasing global demand, says the report, will depend on good governance and management of available resources.

"Good governance is essential for managing our increasingly-stretched supplies of freshwater and indispensable for tackling poverty," says UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura. "There is no one blueprint for good governance, which is both complex and dynamic. But we know that it must include adequate institutions — nationally, regionally and locally, strong, effective legal frameworks and sufficient human and financial resources."

It also requires "essential freedoms, like the freedom of speech and the right to organize," says the report, which stresses that: "If citizens cannot access basic information on water quality and quantity, it seriously curtails their chances of halting environmentally unsound water projects or to hold relevant government agencies accountable."

The UN World Water Development Report is the joint effort of 24 UN agencies and entities involved in water resources management.

Marikina’s persistent and sustained effort to preserve her ‘Great River’

For thousands of years people recognized and respected water’s seemingly magical life-giving properties, acknowledging the fact that without it life on earth would cease to exist. Today, however, there are water shortages, contaminated rivers, and other water problems almost everywhere. Even floods and droughts, which appear to be "natural disasters" are often the direct result of humanity’s use and abuse of this essential resource.

Unfortunately, many people are unaware of the gravity of the situation.

It took three terms (nine years) for then Marikina Mayor Bayani Fernando to relocate 10,000 squatters from the riverbank. As an engineer, he prepared the relocation sites and patiently provided a trucking system every rainy season. Eventually, by the third year, they learned their lesson from repeated loss of lives and homes being swept away by the river.

The 11-kilometer Marikina river bend has made the industries and factories more prosperous. It is home to business centers, entertainment and cultural museums. In addition, Marikina houses the much-visited Marikina City Hall with its transparent glass-paneled offices and the much-envied Safety Center where Marikeños can call 161 and get an ambulance or police or garbage disposal unit in five minutes.

Now, the lady Mayor Marides Fernando continues to sustain the health, safety and prosperity of the residents with Marikina’s model governance, which has attracted about 60 twin cities (or sister LGUs). In Mayor Marides’ term, she is determined to partner with the five municipalities of Antipolo, Taytay, Cainta, San Mateo and Montalban whose environmental and human wastes end up in the Marikina River that serves as its catch basin.

The Fernando couple has succeeded in effective governance due to their constituents’ ultimately sharing their responsibilities of preserving their environment. However, the most ideal age to acquire this healthy attitude is in grade school and high school when man is still in the process of "becoming".

(More information on the WWAP at: http://www.unesco.org/water/wwap) (For more information or reaction, please e-mail at [email protected] or [email protected])