NEDA finds 86% of Filipino families lacking basic sanitation access

The Philippines was ranked sixth among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in terms of access to basic sanitation services, a study from the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) revealed.

In a policy note on the Philippine water sector, the NEDA stated that while 97.6 percent of families use improved drinking water sources, only 84 percent of families have access to basic sanitation services.

The country was followed by Indonesia with 80.9 percent; Myanmar, 79.6 percent; Lao PDR, 73.8 percent; and Thailand with 48.4 percent. Meanwhile, Singapore was reported to have a 100 percent access to sanitation services.

Citing the 2020 Annual Poverty Indicators Survey (APIS), NEDA said that around 8.4 percent of Filipino households rely on potentially unsafe sources of water such as unprotected wells, undeveloped springs, rivers, ponds, lakes, rainwater, or purchased from tanker trucks and water peddlers.

To resolve this, NEDA said that the Department of Water Resources should become part of the government’s cabinet to be the primary agency responsible for the “comprehensive and integrated identification and mapping of all water resources.”

“It will also be the lead agency in the planning, policy formulation, management, appropriation, utilization, exploitation, development, and protection of water resources in the Philippines,” it further said.

It said that various agencies have different regulations on water resources and management, leading to “duplicated efforts and unclear accountability.”

“The fragmentation and overlapping of roles lead to inconsistencies in terms of the enforcement of water policies, standards for water quality, and standards in issuing water permits,” the policy note reads.

NEDA cited the National Irrigation Administration which while it focuses on water resources for irrigation, local water districts, prioritize water supply and distribution for various uses.

It also stated the various regulators of water resources that created a “hodgepodge of varying standards, tariff setting methodologies, and uncoordinated planning and decision-making.”

According to the Philippine Water Supply and Sanitation Master Plan, only 27 percent of the country’s piped water utilities are subject to economic regulation, leaving out 73 percent without any standard guidelines for tariff setting or oversight on performance.

Data on water resources is also put at risk due to the absence of a central agency, preventing comprehensive evaluation and identification of proper interventions to manage the country’s water resources, the NEDA said.

House Bill 9663 or the National Water Resources Act, which would create the DWR and the Water Regulatory Commission was approved by the lower chamber last year and is still pending with the Senate. — Xander Dave Ceballos