MANILA, Philippines- The Philippines faces a severe crisis in fresh water supply in the year 2010 that may set off sectoral conflicts for the use of this most valuable resource, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has warned.
A DENR study estimated that only 1,907 cubic meters of fresh water would be available to each person each year, making the Philippines second to the lowest among Southeast Asian countries with fresh water availability, Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes said.
"The uncoordinated and uncontrolled exploitation of our country 's water resources has had a major impact on the availability of clean and safe water at present, and has already jeopardized the supply of this resource for future generations," Reyes said Friday.
He cited that the study further identified that as early as now water supply constraints could be felt in nine key cities including Metro Manila, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Bacolod, Angeles City, Zamboanga, Baguio and Cagayan de Oro.
He said the DENR study showed that while there may have been an increase in the country's overall water supply from 1990 to 2002, coverage actually declined from 81.4 percent to 80 percent in 2002 largely because of the increase in population during the period.
"The decline in coverage was more pronounced in the rural than in the urban areas," he pointed out. "In Metro Manila and Cebu, signs of over-extraction of ground water resulted in the lowering of the water table and a consequent increase in water salinity."
According to National Water Resources Board executive director Ramon B. Alikpala, irrigated agriculture is actually responsible for more than 70 percent of all water use.
"Because drainage flows from agriculture are polluted due to the use of pesticides and freshwater, less fresh water is available for drinking and industrial use," Alikpala said.
He added that pollution had aggravated the crisis by reducing water usability, while over-extraction of groundwater had resulted in the lowering of the water table and an increase in salinity.
Moreover, Reyes added, only 36 percent of the river systems can be classified as possible sources of public water supply and as many as 50 of the 421 rivers in the country can be considered "biologically dead."
Reyes acknowledged several shortcomings in the current management of the country’s water resources. He said there had been too much focus on developing new sources of water supply rather than on managing existing ones better.
"We have to admit that a top-down approach to water management has actually resulted in uncoordinated development and poor management of the resource. More development, we must realize, means a greater overall impact on the environment," Reyes said.
The call for water supply conservation came even as the DENR convened for the first time an Integrated Water Resource Management Group involving all government agencies engaged in water resources conservation and management, said Reyes.
Aside from the DENR's attached agencies, member agencies of the so-called IWRM Group are the Department of Agriculture's National Irrigation Administration, the National Power Corp and the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System.
He said the collaboration of all sectors in the planning and general management of water resources, involving users, planners and policymakers at all levels, would help prevent an acute crisis that might result in sectoral "conflicts" in the use of the water resources.
"As of now there is a national policy that prioritizes households over irrigation water use if there is a water crisis. There may be a need to review this," he noted.
According to a framework set in practicing the IWRM, member-agencies will consider all the different uses of water resources as interdependent. In the framework, decisions on water allocation and management would take into account the effects of each use on the other.
Reyes added that "IWRM is a government commitment made during the world summit on sustainable development in 2002. It is also identified in the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan (2004-2010) as the general strategy in water resources management."
"While there are several components and imperatives in adopting and implementing IWRM as the general strategy for water resource management, the most essential requirement to ensure its success is the collaboration of all sectors in the planning and general management of all our water resources," he said.
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"OPINYON"
"Water Crisis" o ang problema sa supply ng tubig sa ating bansa. Alam naman nating lahat na isa ito sa pinaka malaking problema na dinadanas ng bansang Pilipinas. Ngunit bakit napaka dami parin sa ating mga Pilipino na umaabuso sa paggamit ng tubig, hindi man lang iniisip ang kapakanan ng iba. Bagama't alam naman nating lahat na hindi lamang tayo ang nangangailangan nito sa pang araw-araw na buhay. Kaya marapat lamang na magtipid tayo upang maiwasan ang problemang ito at hindi pa mas lalong lumala na ikapapahamak nating lahat.
