Tapping community solutions for our water woes

On March 27-28, the Philippine Institute of Chemical Engineers (PIChE) Cebu Chapter, in partnership with the University of San Carlos Water Resources Center, PUM Netherlands, and the Cebu City Septage Management Board, hosted the First Cebu Water Summit at a hotel in Mandaue City.

The fact that this event was called the first Cebu Water Summit is an ironic twist, given that Cebu has faced water problems for decades. I recall writing a three-part investigative report on the water issue back in 2001 for The FREEMAN.

Yet the summit still proved to be timely as around the same time, the Philippine weather bureau PAGASA announced that there is a high likelihood that the El Niño phenomenon would develop in the next six months. On March 27, Sen. Nancy Binay cited the need to prepare for an impending water crisis, emphasizing that the country has been regularly affected by the El Niño phenomenon and yet continues to be caught off-guard by water shortages.

To address this issue, Binay urged the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) to share its “holistic and comprehensive water resource plan” and its water allocation and reuse policy with local governments, so that it can be implemented at the community level.

In Cebu City, Councilor Mary Ann de los Santos, in an interview with Sun.Star Cebu, said that any institutional effort to tackle the challenges of water supply in Cebu City needs a thoughtful and inclusive approach. De los Santos also highlighted the importance of community-level solutions to the water shortage like rainwater harvesting, barangay-based water conservation programs, and decentralized wastewater treatment systems.

I support these suggestions, as they align with the recommendations from a 2010 study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Although the JICA study employed diplomatic language, the underlying message is evident: While population and urban growth contribute to water shortages, governance failure remains the primary cause. To enhance water collection and security in cities, it is crucial to concentrate on community-level conditions and strategies.

Notably, in the same study it was revealed that the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) had aimed to reduce system losses, or non-revenue water (NRW), by 10% over the next eight years. NRW refers to water that is pumped but then lost or unaccounted for. As of 2021, or 11 years after the JICA study was conducted, the MCWD still suffers from a 29% systems loss, according to a union official.

So while the water problem is glaringly obvious, solutions are also readily available, yet perhaps obscured by competing interests that are incompatible with said solutions. JICA had recommended institutional reforms, beginning with a comprehensive review of the water code.

The JICA study also strongly advised promoting groundwater development outside the MCWD franchise area to meet current and future demands. Stakeholders, including developers and regulators, are expected to make urgent decisions to establish an Island Water Resources Management system with a single local apex body, which would act as the local counterpart of the NWRB.

To ensure a comprehensive approach, the body should include representatives from various stakeholders, such as national government agencies, provincial, city, and municipal local government units, water providers like MCWD, subdivision developers and homeowners, businesses, industries, service providers in the water and sanitation sector, academia, and NGOs.

It is unclear what has transpired with these recommendations, and it is surprising that some sectors are now promoting desalination plants as quick solutions. One must question if these people are aware of the impact that such short-term solutions can have on the cost of water for consumers.