March 22nd was World Water Day which is an annual United Nations observance to highlight the importance of fresh water. In the Philippines almost half of all families lack access to fresh water. Let's take a look at some statistics compiled by National Water Resource Board executive director Dr. Sevillo David Jr.
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| https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/20/23/11-million-filipino-families-lack-access-to-clean-water-nwrb |
Some 11 million families lack access to clean water in the Philippines, an official said on Monday.
These families are forced to rely on "unprotected" deep wells, springs, rivers, lakes and rainwater, said National Water Resource Board executive director Dr. Sevillo David Jr.
(Almost 11 million families do not have access to clean water yet. The water source for 11 million families is almost unsafe.)
The Philippines is home to some 26.3 million families, according to 2020 government data.
Lack of sanitation has also forced some families to defecate in the open, risking water contamination and diseases, David said.
11 million out of 26.3 million is 41%!!! Do these people pay taxes? Those taxes should go to projects like providing fresh water but they have been left out in the cold by the government which they are forced to support. Open defecation does indeed taint the water supply and I have gone through the stats showing how many people die each year from diarrhea due to tainted water. One wonders how Filipinos survived for thousands of years before the Spanish came. Did Lapulapu take a dump near his water source?
Water supply also often becomes an issue during the dry season, he noted.
(We have enough water supply for now. But the PAGASA says El Niño is looming.)
El Niño is characterized by below-normal rainfall conditions, which could lead to dry spells and droughts in some areas of the country, according to the state weather forecaster.
(We need to prepare for this as it could affect our water supply, particularly in our farms.)
Asked what the government is doing to solve water issues, David cited President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos' order to create a water resource management office.
(This office will be in charge of coordinating various government agencies which have water programs and activities. More than 13 agencies have a role or have a program on water and our President wants to have coordination to provide security and relief to the needs of our countrymen.)
David's statement comes days before World Water Day, celebrated every March 22 to raise awareness on the water and sanitation crisis.
Of course the government's answer is more bureaucracy. Let's take a look though.
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| https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/01/23/marcos-oks-new-water-resource-management-office |
President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. has approved the creation of an office that will manage water resources and ensure sufficient supply, Malacañang said on Wednesday.
Marcos suggested that the new Water Resource Management Office's (WRMO) first task "should be reducing the country’s reliance on groundwater and deep wells, as well as managing surface water supply," the Presidential Communications Office said.
"We have sufficient... there’s enough water in the Philippines hindi lang natin ginagamit, tinatapon natin,” Marcos said.
(It's not being used, we're wasting it.)
The new body will also ensure that other agencies would follow a plan for waste management.
"That’s why we have to strengthen the mandate of the Water Management Office. We have to bring them (agencies) together so that they are all following the overall plan,” Marcos said.
"This new Water Management Office, it has to be cohesive in the sense that kailangan ‘yung recommendation ng management office sinusundan," he added.
(The recommendation of the management office should be followed.)
Who is distributing the water now? Who is not following the overall plan now? This is all malarky. Marcos wants to create another bureaucracy which won't do anything except cost the taxpayers more money and be another conduit for corruption. But the question remains. How did Filipinos survive on clean water before the Europeans came and why can't they do that now? Almost half of all Philippine families do not have access to clean water and the government's response is to create another bureaucracy? Ridiculous!
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