U.S. gov’t works with Leyte water service providers

ORMOC CITY, Philippines — More than 180 participants from Leyte province water districts and small-scale water service providers attended two conferences here, hosted by the U.S. government and the provincial government this week for the improvement of service delivery and building up of climate change resilience.

The events were organized by the U.S. Embassy Manila’s United States Agency for International Development, through its Water Security for Resilient Economic Growth and Stability (Be Secure) Project.

Be Secure aims to increase access to sustainable water supply and wastewater treatment services and strengthen climate resilience in six focal areas, including Leyte province.

The three-day conference, entitled “Accelerating Water Security and Climate Resiliency among Small Water Service Providers in Leyte Province,” addressed challenges that small-scale WSPs face during natural disasters.

Typhoon Yolanda, one of the strongest typhoons ever recorded in history, caused massive devastation to Leyte province including to its water systems and other infrastructure.

Leyte Provincial Board Member Deborah Bertulfo (4th district) and Dani Newcomb, USAID/Philippines’ Water and Adaptation Team leader, delivered key messages during the opening session of the conference.

“Water is vital for sustainable development. Water service providers must be able to deliver water reliably and to look for innovative ways to make water systems more resilient,” Bertulfo said.

During the conference, WSPs of Leyte learned strategies to enhance their water supply systems, with peer-to-peer knowledge exchange and coordination among themselves.

Conference experts came from the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Social Welfare and Development, National Water Resources Board, National Water and Sanitation Association of the Philippines and the Philippine Business for Social Progress.

USAID also organized the two-day “Understanding Climate Change and Its Projected Impacts on Water Resources and Water Utilities” conference which highlighted the urgency for WSPs to take action on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction.

In her presentation, USAID Be Secure’s Climate Resiliency Team leader Bebet Gozun stated: “Recent strong typhoons like Yolanda, Sendong and Ondoy highlight the vulnerability of the water sector to the impacts of natural disasters. We continue to encourage government and private sector partners to take urgent adaptation measures to reduce vulnerability and build resiliency to ensure sustainable water supply.”

Both conferences culminated with participants developing action plans that will serve as the bases for further support and engagement.

The USAID Be Secure Project addresses issues to facilitate access to improved drinking water supplies. This contributes to the US-Philippines’ Partnership for Growth goal of achieving more inclusive and resilient growth for all Filipinos. —Contributed article