SUSTAINABLE WATER DEVELOPMENT

IN THE PHILIPPINES

Noel M. Ortigas1, Edward Dennis Cruz2

¹ Executive Vice President, Engineering and Development Corporation of the Philippines (EDCOP)
Chair, PICE Specialty Division for Water Engineering
Principal Civil Engineer “A” and Acting Manager, Water Resources Department, EDCOP
Director, PICE, Makati

ABSTRACT: This paper aside from to presenting current situation on water supply, intends to describe the key roles which
Civil Engineers could and should play towards improving the water and sanitation sector in the Philippines. Included also are
the disciplines which have to be involved in the development process; looking at the engineering and technical aspects, but
also giving enough and equal importance to other factors such as economics, financial, social and environment in ensuring
successful water systems – not just as projects, but as indeed, efficient, operational, viable, and sustainable systems.

Key Words: Water, sanitation, sustainable operations

1 Water Resources in the Philippines On the water and sanitation, of about 1,600 piped water
supply systems (Level 3 systems), some 42% do not have
The Philippines has often been said to be endowed with access to individual connections. And, in these places,
abundant natural resources. One of these, is water – all residents not availing of piped water services pay 10-15
479 cubic kilometers of it (World Resources Institute) - times more, with the quality of water remaining suspect
with about 4,700 cubic meters per capita available. due to absence of reliable treatment process.
Annual rainfall varies from 1,000 to 4,000 millimeters (20-
22 typhoons visit the Philippines’ area of responsibility Even in areas where level 3 water systems exist, hours of
annually) in different regions of the country. This amount water delivery is not necessarily 24 hours a day. There
of precipitation should be enough to replenish are confirmed reports, that some in fact provide only 2
groundwater reservoirs in the country’s 7,100 islands; hours of service a day. Residents are constrained to
with sufficient volumes available for domestic, invest in private wells and/or get their supply from
agricultural, industrial uses, recreation and irrigation. A private vendors who deliver water at very high costs with
number of our rivers (the country has 18 major river water quality remaining doubtful.
basins, 421 principal river basins) are good hydropower
sites. If managed appropriately, there would be enough Water services are generally inefficient; with water tariffs
water for every Filipino’s needs. set more for social and political purposes rather that for
cost recovery and adequate operation and maintenance
However, the dire facts are: requirements. Thus, sustainability of operations is not
ensured.
a) Of the 4 million hectares irrigable area we have as a
nation, only one-half is with irrigation facilities; and Compounding the sustainability issue are the level of
not all of these systems are operating efficiently. investments and lack of appropriate financing products
b) A number of potential hydropower sites are not available to water utilities, particularly small water
developed, with a number of identified projects left utilities for improvement, rehabilitation and expansion.
unimplemented due to lack of funds, social problems, While our Asian neighbors, who in the 1960’s and 1970’s
ROW and access constraint or simply the lack of lagged in the developing the water sector, increased and
political will. sustained their capital expenditures, the Philippines have
c) Only 40% of the country’s population is connected to not made significant efforts to improve and expand the
piped, reliable and safe water systems. infrastructures to meet the increasing economic growth
and population increase.
2 Water Supply and Sanitation
Two more factors identified through past studies
2.1 Water Supply contribute to the sustainability water utility problem:
a) that consumer demand has not been given much As early as in the onset of the second millennium, leading
attention in the planning and implementation of water advocates in country and in the world have
water supply system; and, recognized these problems. UNDP and World Bank
b) low institutional and technical capacities in most of studies best summarizes these through:
these utilities.
3.1 Planning issues

2.2 Sanitation a) There is lack of adequate, reliable sector data for

realistic planning
Seventy to eighty percent of water consumed by b) Rural sector targets are high compared to
individuals becomes wastewater. Thus, while water use implementation capacity
and consumption have to be addressed, the consequent c) The national master plan lacks institutional support
problem on sanitation should not be left unattended. components like community organizing, human
resources development, training and IEC (information,
Household wastewater is a major source of pollution, education and communication activities). Budgets
particularly in the urban areas where absence of piped are focused mostly on physical construction.
sewerage and sanitation facilities are found wanting if not d) Low priority is given to sanitation and to poor urban
totally absent. communities.
e) Local government units (LGU’s) are rarely consulted
Findings from various studies from the World Bank, in development of sector master plans
National Water Resources Board (NWRB), National
Economic Development Authority (NEDA), Department of 3.2 Technical issues
Interior and Local Government (DILG), Local Water
Utilities Administration (LWUA) and Department of a) Many urban water supply systems have high
Health (DOH) reveal that: unaccounted for and non-revenue water.
b) Water resources are dwindling, as shown by lowering
a) Less than 10% of the country is connected to of water tables and salt intrusion in many areas
engineered sewerage systems; c) Many piped systems provide less than 24 hours
b) The pollution caused by domestic waste in otherwise service
reliable freshwater source in the country could be d) There are limited affordable options for sewerage
quantified into: 48% nationwide; 60% in Laguna Lake; and sanitation in urban areas
and, 40% in Pasig River; e) Climate Change is here and is REAL
c) Economic losses is computed to reach some P 67 B
(mid-2000 levels) – P 3 B in health, P 17 B in fisheries 3.3 Institutional and management issues
production and P 47 B in tourism. (The Boracay
environmental tragedy is a classic example of how a) Fragmented water sector in terms of 30 institutions
revenue and income losses can compound the more involved in water resources
long-term and devastating effects of poor sanitation b) Lack of private sector participation and/or absence of
and environmental neglect). incentives towards PPP, most especially on Sanitation
d) Pollution in our natural waters has reduced reliability c) Water treated as an economic good
of our rivers to only 36%; 58% of groundwater d) Demand side planning
sources sampled in the study showed coliform e) Water tariff setting (adequate O&M, cost recovery
presence; and not political motives)
e) Major coastal cities (Iloilo, Dagupan, Cebu, Cavite and
Metro Manila) are encountering saltwater intrusion 4 Water Utility Operations in the Philippines
in their aquifers due to groundwater mining and un-
regulated groundwater extraction; 4.1 Sustainable Operations
f) To arrest the continuing deterioration caused by
water pollution, some P 300 B is estimated over a 10- What characterizes sustainable water utility operations?
year period; and, The following are gleaned from past experience,
g) In terms of investments in the water and sanitation documented reports and research works. The multi-
sector, 95% has been allocated for water supply disciplinary aspects of the water system is further given
development and only about 5% in sanitation. emphasis here – technical, financial and customer
orientation.
3 Recognizing Water and Sanitation Issues
a) Technical Aspects
 Well performing utilities are characterized by: Poorly performing utilities:
- Adequate system instrumentation (production - Insufficient tariff structures (expenses exceeds
meters, pressure gages) – these gives revenue, weak cash position, no financial
management and operator proper knowledge of capacity to improve nor to expand)
how the system works - Low collection efficiency and poor cost recovery
- Seeks professional help for major improvements (affects cash flow, and leads to further
or systems upgrades (ensure efficiency of deterioration of staff motivation)
operations – source, pumps and mechanical and - Reluctant to borrow (management and staff do
electrical instrumentation, water treatment, understand the financing instruments)
pipelines, storage, computerization) - No finance/business plan (utility is incapable to
- Has an asset management plan (rather than just prepare one, or does not have the financial
an inventory of facilities; but include type, make, ability to secure technical assistance)
characteristics, date of purchase and age of - High staffing ratio (number, skills and needs
equipment, maintenance requirements and mismatch; inefficient operations)
dates, replacement dates)
- Have master plans; regularly updated to reflect c) The Importance of Customer Orientation
real developments and directions of growth - Paying customers are the utility’s major source of
within the served community income; and they as the customers, expect good
Non-efficient or poorly performing utilities have or corresponding quality service
these characteristics: - Customer complaints, if managed and reacted to
- Frequent breakdowns (reflective of poor positively could utilities do better jobs (if needed,
maintenance or simply lack of O&M personnel set-up a customers action center)
skills) - Complaints can actually help save money,
- Long downtime (probably due to lack of spare improve efficiency, raise more revenues and
parts and/or because the staff possess the “don’t boost financial performance
care attitude”?) - Customers’ trust is gained by transparency in
- Consumer complaints about poor service abound operations (annual financial reports should be
(improper design, inappropriate operating made public)
practices) - Positive customer attitude helps utilities tackle
- High wastage (very high non-revenue water, difficult issues; like required tariff adjustments
large system losses, production and consumed - Utilities should conduct periodic customer
volumes not properly monitored) attitude surveys
- Management and staff should consider capacity
b) Financial Aspects building programs on improved commercial
Well performing utilities: operations and customer orientation
- Well paid staff, with high service motivation - Active participation in community-based
- Utility has a business plan, and can arrange or programs should be undertaken; these could
secure funding (internal fund generation or help improve PR.
through external sources) as maybe needed
- Implements adequate and well-structure tariff 4.2 Performance Indicators
which covers cost recovery, enough reserves, as There are measures to determine performance
needed amortization for external funds, and of water utilities. Only a few, yet deemed more
asset cost recovery important, are presented here:
- Aside from a business plan, has a financial
management plan, regularly updated to keep a) Non-revenue water – a ratio between
with the times (inflation, exchange rates, etc.) production and billed water
- See loans and/or external borrowings as a useful The national average is 38%; but efficient
tool; and willing to borrow as may be necessary operations would register lower figures.
- Have access to professional assistance LWUA, for its part, would always assume
(engineering, financial, commercial operations, 25% for financing water district projects.
management); and tap needed experts as Manila Water (private operators for Metro
required Manila’s east concession) registered a low of
- O & M staff have their skills and needs properly 15%; from the previous record of 60% prior
matched; personnel upgrades including training to the privatization.
conducted regularly
b) Unaccounted for water – ratio showing 5 Planning and Design Considerations for Water
relationship between consumed water and Supply and Sanitation Systems
volume produced
Some of the basic steps which the engineers should
Provides a measure of losses and leaks not undertake when involved in planning and design for
registered nor measured through the water supply projects:
systems’ instruments (or the lack of it). Well
managed utilities would always make sure a) A thorough understanding of the water supply
that non-revenue water would be equal to coverage area – this would include the service area,
unaccounted for water. These unaccounted the water sources, (in spring and surface water
volumes are usually attributed to “free sources, studies may include watershed and
water” provided to government offices; vegetation coverage areas), inventory and evaluation
these free volumes are both “non-revenue” existing facilities (water, sewerage and sanitation,
(free, therefore not billed) and drainage, power, etc.), communities’ development
“unaccounted” (un-metered, not measured) plans and programs, zoning regulations, maps.
b) Analysis and evaluation of existing proposed water
c) Operating cost ratio – expenses over sources to include precipitation, stream flow, well
revenue; OCR should be less than 1 flow dependable yields, water quality, existing
hydrologic and hydrogeologic conditions, study of
Viable and sustainable utilities would geologic maps, aerial photographs, conduct of hydro
register OCR’s of less than 1. For those with and hydro-geologic surveys as may be required.
amortization payments, OCR’s should be Special studies including geophysical surveys, aquifer
lower to cover for debt servicing. pumping tests, watershed assessment and water-
balance studies, geologic and foundation evaluation
d) Staff connection ratio – ratio of personnel for major structures; should be done as necessary.
per number of connections. Prevailing ratio Aside from water quantity availability, water quality
for those considered as sustainable and assessment for various possible sources should also
efficient ranges from 6 to 8. LWUA originally be conducted.
uses 10 for every 1,000; but this was true in c) Conduct of socio-economic surveys to determine
the early 1980’s when automation and willingness-to-connect and willingness-to-pay of
computerized billings and collections were existing and probable additional consumers; also to
not a common thing in water utilities. determine the affordability to pay of the
communities affected
e) Service coverage ratio – ratio between the d) Analyze and forecast future population and water
actual population provided service by the demand for a given planning horizon (10 years to 25
utility and the total population within the years). The demand projections should properly
delineated service area recognize domestic, commercial, industrial and
institutional uses.
Economies of scale also apply to water e) Development options should be formulated
systems. Given the density of the considering technical (water sources, topography,
population and the nearness of growth projected demand, service area coverage and
centers to each other, systems can be distances from sources to service area), economic
designed to amalgamate, sharing water (capital expenditures, operating expenses, possible
sources, facilities and management; thus effective water rate viz-a-viz affordability to pay) and
increasing efficiency with lower investment environmental (water rights conflicts, water quality,
requirements. R-O-W and tenurial problems)
f) Other indicators would include: f) Planned water system development should be
thoroughly analyzed using acceptable methods and
- Billing and collection efficiency procedures. The use of software for hydraulic
- Collection period modeling (EPANET, WATNET, HYDRO NET) should be
- Average monthly consumption per optimized, especially with dealing with large scale
connection hydraulic networks. Application of GIS for planning
- The tariff structure itself for present and future service area including
population and water demand projections should
also be considered.
g) Detailed engineering designs should be done a) Lack of planning for on-going operation and
following established criteria for the water industry – maintenance of completed facilities
LWUA, DILG/WSSPMO, NWRB, PWWA - and other b) Limited attention to giving or establishing a sense of
government and private agencies involved in ownership of the project (or the operating system) to
implementing and operating water utilities. the community
h) Figures and numbers normally used in planning water c) Political interference and intervention
supply systems in the country: d) Corruption, leading to ineffectiveness of the
investments
Water Consumption (liters per capita per day, lpcd) e) In both local and national realms – the absence of a
Public taps 60 lpcd cohesive, workable and committed sense of a
Provincial cities 100 – 120 lpcd successful and sustainable undertaking.
Highly urbanized areas 160 – 180 lpcd
One of the more popular textbooks for Water Resources
Flow variations (as function of the Average Day Engineering (Lindsey and Francini) once mentioned that,
Demand, ADD) “Water resources engineering requires conception,
Average Day Demand 1 planning, design, construction and operation of facilities
Maximum Day Demand 1.1 – 1.3 to control and utilize water. . . . . IT IS GENERALLY A
Peak Hour Demand 2 - 2.2 FUNCTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS”

Storage Requirements But the authors further added that, in order to make a
Operating storage 15% to 30% successful water resource project, the inputs of other
of ADD disciplines and other experts have to be recognized –
Emergency storage 2 hours equivalent of economist, environmentalists, geologists, mechanical and
Peak Hour Demand electrical engineers, chemists, financial analysts, and
social and political scientists.
Fire Storage (in cubic meters)
20,000 population & below 80 CM So while engineers, to more precise, CIVIL ENGINEERS,
20,000 – 100,000 320 CM are to take the lead; an integrated, multi-disciplinary
100,000 – 500,000 640 CM approach has to be adopted.
above 500,000 950 CM
The engineering skills and expertise should remain, but
Operating pressures (in meters) management and leadership should be further enhanced,
Domestic connections 7 meters spearheading the movement of experts, other engineers
Commercial/Industrial 14 meters and scientists in providing solutions to one of the basic
Institutional 7 meters requirements for a developing country – Water.

Pump Selection Perhaps engineering “innovations” which have worked so

Centrifugal pumps, low heads (suction heads of 6 well in past water projects could be adopted; such as: a)
meters or less) sustainable engineering, b) life cycle engineering, c)
Turbine pumps, medium heads empowered engineering and d) appropriate engineering.
Centrifugal pumps, high head requirements
6.1 Sustainable engineering
6 Sustainable Engineering Solutions for Water Engineering is not the sole contributor to successful
Supply Projects – What can Civil Engineers need do projects; attention has to be given to social, economic
more and political influences

Water service is a basic requirement for human life. In Sustainable engineering requires the utilization of natural
fact, provision of water to the poor communities is one of resources in providing engineering solutions
the indicators used in determining successes (or failures)
of poverty alleviation projects by many international Optimum solutions result to positive or neutral impacts
financing institutions. on natural resource consumption.

Causes of failures in projects in poverty alleviation 6.2 Life-cycle engineering

projects, which include water, are identified as: Operational and maintenance cost of the proposed
engineering solutions are taken into account in the
selection of the most appropriate scheme.
 Civil engineers have been trained and the preparation to
Completed projects have effective yet affordable O & M the take the lead roles – as project developers, utility
regimes. This would require the adoption of the operators, owner’s representatives, designers and
appropriate water tariff to cover for O&M, reserves and constructors.
future expansion needs.
Working hand-in-hand with other professionals and
6.3 Empowered engineering experts, the water sector and sanitation problems could
be resolved sooner rather than later; and all through the
Capabilities of the local community, particularly of its greater efforts of Filipino Civil Engineers who take their
engineering and technical professionals, are taken into roles as leaders and not just supporters of the program.
account

Involve the local professionals/technicians in formulating REFERENCES

solutions to establish available technical resource during
operation of the completed project (s). 1) The Philippine Development Plan (PDP), National
Economic Development Authority (2017-2022)
6.4 Appropriate engineering 2) National Sewerage and Septage Management Progra,
DPWH, NEDA, WB-WSP, ADB, AECOM, 2010
Consider options that meet engineering needs of the 3) Philippine Water Supply Sector Road Map, NEDA,
project and would create or facilitate technology transfer, 2010
additional jobs, encourage private enterprise, creates 4) Philippine Sustainable Sanitation Road Map, 2010
ownership and reduce cost. 5) Philippines Small Towns Water Utilities Data Book,
WPEP, December 2005
The adoption of labor-based construction, established 6) Philippines Sanitation Sourcebook and Decision Aid,
methodologies and use of locally available materials. WPEP, December 2005
(Sanitation options would be of practical value here). 7) Management Models for Small Towns Water Supply,
WB Water and Sanitation Program, 2003
In specific terms: - active involvement of community in 8) Philippine Environment Monitor, The World Bank
project implementation; local materials and supplies; Group, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
qualified local sub-contractors and/or service providers; 9) Global Water Information, AQUASTAT, FAO, 2018
practical engineering solutions (bio-technology, 10) World Health Organization, 2018
renewable energy) 11) ADB’s Enhanced Poverty Reduction Strategy, Asian
Development Bank, 2005
7 Conclusion 12) Choices for the Poor, United Nations Development
Programmed (UNDP), 2002
There are about 1,600 local communities in the 13) Achieving Water Security Through Integrated Water
Philippines; and about 40% of them not connected to Resources Management (IWRM), Philippine Water
reliable and efficient piped water systems. In lieu of an Partnership, 2010
organized water supply network, some 30 M of Filipinos
rely on private vendors, use their own water sources –
dug wells, hand pumps, rain collectors – with water
untreated and potability, a real suspect. While awareness
for water pollution hazards primary attributed to
domestic and industrial wastes are high, projects
involving sanitation have not been given their due
importance.

Quite a big chunk of developmental funds – from both

local and international sources – are being allotted for
water and the country is trying to catch up.

But, to accelerate the program, professionals who have to

serve in the forefront have to make themselves ready to
take on the challenge.