AN ANALYSIS ON THE WATER SUPPLY SHORTAGE IN METRO MANILA
Water is a human right and should be a public service however, the water crisis is far from
over since water interruptions as well as potable accessibility and affordability issues persist.
Policies approved as well as projects implemented by the government must cater to the short and
long-term goals to ensure water accessibility. Given the massive scale of the problem various
solutions are being offered to the government including dam construction, reforestation,
regaining of government control over water services, and pipeline installation.
Looming Water Crisis Situation in Metro Manila
A meeting held on March 28, 2005 at the Kapihan sa Maynila with government officials
from the National Water Resources Board and National Irrigation Administration as well as and
private officials from Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, Manila Observatory and
KLIMA discussed the “good” and “bad” news about water shortage particularly in Metro Manila
(n.a, 2005).
The good news with regards to water supply was the timely effort to clear the Umiray
tunnel which was blocked by logs from debris during the flash floods. Water can now freely torrent
from Umiray River to the low-water level Angat Dam. However, the dilemma still persists because
there is still not enough water to supply consumption this summer despite the efforts to promote
water conservation among consumers.
Another major factor to consider is the source of fresh water supply. Although the
Philippines is an archipelago, water that surrounds us is too salty to drink. Efforts to desalinate it
would either consume vast resources of oil or make use of expensive panels if we opt for solar
power instead. Ground water could be another option yet the decades of usage from residential to
commercial utilities have depleted the underground water. Some coastal areas where groundwater
can be extracted using a water wells have only salt water.
Last point in the recurring water supply is deforestation. Trees act as a reservoir of water
but since we have decimated them as raw materials and for different infrastructures, there are no
more roots that would hold the rain or floods (Suzuki, 2019). With deforestation, this hydraulic
regulation is destroyed and reduces the absorption capacity. This leads to clogging of rivers and
streams, flash floods that wash top soil essential for crop to grow worse, can bury villages.
Part of the solutions mentioned were the low-cost piping line from Wawa Dam in
Montalban to La Mesa Dam in Quezon City which could minimize stored water flown to rivers
and seas and to revisit the offer of a private contractor San Lorenzo Ruiz Builders to help construct
the Casecnan Dam in Nueva Ecija at no cost.
Key organization that would play an important role in the implementation of the water
crisis problem would be on the point of view from the national level through Director Ramon
Alikpala, chief of the National Water Resource Board. The researcher sees the authority of the said
character in pursuing proposed solutions and changes from the national level and long-term
solutions.
Assessed Conflicts
‘Water is life’ is more than just a cliché. It is not just a basic necessity but more of a matter
of survival. Lack of water leads to a lot of problems from personal to national level. Inadequate
supply of water in households leads to poor sanitation that breeds bacteria and viruses contributing
to an unhealthy family and community. At community level, many establishments both public and
private can hardly function without clean water supply. Businesses like restaurants, hotels, car
wash services, factories, among others might or will shut down without water in their services.
Operations of public hospitals and schools will hardly function without clean water supply.
In an archipelagic country like the Philippines where water is abundant, water crisis should
not be a scenario. However, due to continuous abuse to our environment and poor government
control or regulation including lack of education among the public, water crisis has become a
terrifying reality.
Annually, during the dry season or summer, farmers are the most affected. They have been
losing their livelihood in millions of pesos and threatening the country’s food security.
Cities in Metro Manila rely on dams like Angat and La Mesa for water supply. However,
growing population means increasing water needs for the metro. The rapid urbanization due to
best opportunities in jobs, education and business is what attracts many Filipinos in the provinces
opt to seek greener pastures in Metro Manila.
In this light, the National Water Resource Board through Director Ramon Alikpala
(NWRB) needs to find solutions to the problem. (NWRB, 2019) The NWRB is the government
agency that is responsible for all the water resources in the Philippines. It coordinates and regulates
all water-related activities in the country that has an impact on the physical environment and the
economy.
With a limited source of clean water, environmental destruction, poor governance, lack of
education, and metro’s growing population, what project can the National Water Resource
Board implement to address water shortage in Metro Manila?
Proposed Solutions
The Pipeline Project
This case study aims to prioritize the construction of pipeline from Wawa Dam to La Mesa
Dam that aims to solve the ominous crisis of water supply in Metro Manila. Construction of the
said pipeline has major advantages due to the proximity of two the two dams and is cost-effective.
Based on the assumptions during the meeting with NWRB, MWSS, Manila Observatory
and KLIMA, Wawa Dam Dam in Montalban, Rizal is technically “within the spitting distance” of
La Mesa Dam in Quezon City hence structuring the pipeline should not take a long time. Given
the distance, it is said that this pipeline project is cheaper than constructing another dam. NWRB
could tap other government agencies or departments to address water shortage for water crisis must
be a multi-agency effort of the government. Moreover, the NWRB could also re-examine the offer
of a private contractor San Lorenzo Ruiz Builders to help in the construction of the Pipeline Project
instead of a Casecnan Dam in Nueva Ejica at “no cost’ to the government.
The Pipeline Project would ensure that fresh water stored in Wawa Dam would not flow
uselessly into the sea but unto the pipes of every households in Metro Manila. This will not only
resolve the water crisis for the year 2005 but toward the summer of the coming years.
Limitations in solution should consider the weather conditions during the construction.
Although it should not take a long time and would not cost much, the completion could be delayed
due to inclement weather conditions.
Regaining Public Control of Water Service
Further research also reveals that Canada, which topped water supply in the world (Werft,
2016), has a complete control of the water service. To meet the exact demands of the population,
command economy can adjust the production rates. It is effective in lessening the chances for a
shortage to occur though it limits the choices as compared with other economies. In this light, this
study seeks to further understand the effects of water privatization on Metro Manila’s water supply.
To ensure an uninterrupted and adequate supply and distribution of potable water for
domestic and other purposes of consumers at just and equitable rates, the government felt the need
to adopt effective measures to address nationwide water crisis approving the Republic Act No.
8041 of 1995 or National Water Crisis Act of 1995. Since the enactment of R.A 8041, a passage
of Executive Order No. 311 on March 20, 1996 encouraged the private sector’s participation in
the operation of the facilities of MWSS and paved the way for its privatization. Its primary
objectives include transfer of financial burden to the private sector, improvement of service
standards, increase operational efficiency, and minimize tariff impact.
In August that year, the Philippine government entered into a 25-year Concession
Agreement with two private consortia comprised of local and international partners. This
effectively transferred the operational responsibilities of MWSS to Manila Water Company, Inc.
(for the East Zone) and Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (for the West Zone).
Amidst some uneasiness and skepticism, the transition was implemented with the vision of
transforming an inefficient, debt-ridden, and overstaffed public corporation into a professional,
well-performing, and financially viable service utility. The development of new water sources,
improvement of water delivery, and expansion of coverage area, on the other hand, remained high
in the list of the goals of privatization. (MWSS, 2019).
The government as the central player in addressing water crisis through this study may
realize to maximize the untapped potential of its citizens as actors of change by means of proper
education through local government units.
Environmental Protection
This study sought to help the government realize the urgent need to prioritize
environmental crisis including but not limited to deforestation. Data from Conservation
International, Philippines ranked 4th as one of the most countries in the world that facing massive
deforestation. Annually, the country loses 157,000 hectares of its forest or twice the size of Metro
Manila. At this scale, the country will lose all of its forests in 40 years.
Figure 1
Line graph showing the dwindling Philippine forests
In an investigative new about water crisis (Pasion, 2012), Kalikasan Partylist states that the
government and private sector cannot catch up to the rapid deforestation in their reforestation
efforts. Even with the allocation of funds from the government for reforestation, a big bulk of the
project came from foreign funding and foreign loans that results to foreign debt.
Figure 2
Bar graph illustrating the disparity between the reforestation projects and deforestation rate
Areas of consideration
Addressing a problem such as water crisis in Metro Manila is no easy task as this level of
dilemma requires a massive and efficient solution. It needs to define and understand the problem
from different vantage points to be able to arrive with the best possible solution.
As the NWRB, it has the authority or in position to discuss the gravity of the problem and
the best possible solution there is. It may (or it must) influence and convince the legislators to act
on the matter, and if possible, enact laws that will give NWRB more power in solving the present
(and future) water crisis. It may ask for greater state subsidy so it may function better according to
its mandate. It will be easier for the NWRB then to tap other government agencies/departments,
and even the private sectors, for its future projects and operations.
With these, the NWRB will be able to minimize, if not totally eradicate, the effects of water
crisis particularly in Metro Manila. Higher prioritization by the government to water crisis will
mean greater prioritization for the NWRB. This must translate to higher budget allocation. Having
a higher budget allocation should translate to higher productivity including research, feasibility
studies, case studies, and the like. These will all lead to NWRB being a relevant government
institution in addressing the water needs of Metro Manila in particular, and the country in general.
However, there are factors that may halt or imperil possible solutions to water crisis. As
part of the government, the NWRB is in the mercy of slow government process when it comes to
financing projects such as constructions. In Congress, annual national budget deliberation takes
months before the submission to the President for approval. Other government
agencies/departments also have limited resources to assist NWRB, unless, the Executive branch
gave go signal for the needed assistance. Also, private sectors that wishes to have partnership with
government may prioritize their profit interest over public service.
Other uncontrolled factors including climate change and rapid increase in population in
Metro Manila must be included in the equation. Continuous deforestation and other environmental
crimes increase the scale of the problem. Civil oriented groups such as environmental groups might
oppose the project for environmental concerns. Public may perceive the project as another source
of corruption. Affected communities may also be a major problem in the proposed project.
The NWRB may also follow some best practices by other countries. In Canada for
example, households are asked whether their supply of water meets their needs, or for how many
hours water is available each day.
STRENGTHS
-Mandated by government and in
position to influence government
offices and the public for better
water services.
-Understands the problem better
and has the knowledge to solve it
better.
OPPORTUNITIES
-Has budget or in position to ask
for budget to implement projects.
-Has budget to disseminate
information.
WEAKNESSES
-Has the opportunity to increase
budget.
-Has the opportunity to tap other
government agencies and offices.
-Able to solve a massive and
decade-old problems.
-Able to explain and minimize other
environmental hazards that may
arise during the implementation of
project
-Has budget for research.
-There is a need to convince the
Congress to approve and finance
the project.
-Profit interests of private
concessioners/bidders may prevail
over public service.
-There is a need to convince and
involve other government
agencies.
-Slow government process in
approving and financing projects.
-Out of control factors such as
climate change and uncontrolled
increasing population.
THREATS
-There is a need to address the
concerns by some civil groups,
especially environmental groups
that may oppose such projects.
-Affected communities also need to
put into consideration.
-Fear of corruption for the project.
Figure 3
SWOT Matrix for the projects and policies as solutions for water crisis
Alternative Courses of Action and its Analysis
The NWRB may also consider in exploring other solutions to the problem. Some are long term
solutions while others are short term solutions or remedies.
1. The NWRB may find solution from a study conducted by IBON Foundation (IBON Web
Admin, 2019), where there is a need for genuine public control of this essential service.
2. The NWRB may consider the construction of another dam to address the water crisis.
3. The government may choose to execute cloud seeding to initiate rains.
4. Inform the public to conserve water.
5. Plant more trees and promote environmental awareness.
6. Development of the countryside.
The above-mentioned alternative courses of actions have their own advantages and
disadvantages.
1. This is a great avenue to create a national campaign for the protection of the environment
and for government to control water resources eliminating privatization in the process.
However, it will be very hard (if not impossible) to convince the government to ignore the
private sector.
2. Construction of additional dam may add to another source of water for the metro. It’s like
having a new water container for storage and can be a longer solution. However,
construction of new dam is more expensive and requires more time for completion. Also,
cause oriented groups including environmental groups will oppose another dam due to its
environmental hazards and displacement of communities.
3. Cloud seeding may give additional rains/water. However, it is just a remedy or Band-Aid
solution and requires more budget for its execution.
4. Involving the public to address the problem for them to realize the importance of water
conservation is a good idea. But it must be executed well and at the right time. Otherwise,
they will find it annoying since having limited supply of water will force them to conserve
water. It is more of a logical action of those who are affected rather than a solution.
5. There is no debate on the importance and need of planting more trees and promoting
environmental awareness to the public. This is an effective and probably the best long term
solution. But it needs time for trees to grow and educating the public cannot happen
overnight. Still, this option is a must. It can maximize the use of social media for public
awareness.
6. This option may not ring a bell but if we can accept the fact that most of the opportunities
for economic stability are in Metro Manila. That is the reason why many Filipinos from
countryside or provinces flocks in the metro that contributes to its increasing population.
Bigger population means greater need for water. If there will be more opportunity in the
countryside, less people will choose the metro. However, this will take time for the
government to realize.
Conclusion:
Currently with all the stated solutions to the water crisis, the construction of pipeline from
Wawa Dam to La Mesa Dam remains the best solution for Metro Manila. However, this solution
will not solve entirely the crisis since there are a lot of factors that contributes to the existence of
the problem.
Water crisis is real and has catastrophic effects for all the living. For humans, its effects
spreads in all aspects; economic, political, and cultural. Human are the ones who are most affected
but it is also the main antagonist in this crisis. Mother Nature is being abused and human, in the
name of development and survival, created its own suffering.
But humans are also the best and only hope of Mother Nature to heal. All the stated cause and
effect of the problem will boil down to government policies as the main actor in leading the public
to act against climate change or climate crisis. There are immediate and long-term solutions. But
there is no denying that every solution both long term and short term are very much needed.
The government through its institutions and branches must work together to address the growing
needs of the public for clean water services. It must pass laws that will assure the continuous supply
of clean water. It must also review laws that favors private interest in government partnerships
especially privatization of basic and vital utilities such as water. More so, the government must
continue to work for the development of countryside.