Think tank Infrawatch PH is supporting the call of Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez for Congress to reduce water system loss by setting up mechanisms to assist water districts to ensure that more Filipinos have access to potable water.
Infrawatch PH Convenor Terry Ridon made the statement after Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) Chair Ronnie Ong publicly sought support from Congress to reduce the almost 30 percent annual water system loss recorded by water districts across the country.
Ong bared data from LWUA which show that of the 584 water districts in the country, at least 244 water districts have rates of non-revenue water (NRW) – or water that is pumped and then lost or unaccounted for– that exceeds 21 percent, LWUA further bared that about 20 water districts have NRW rates that go as high as 71 percent.
On average, water districts record an NRW rate of 29.34 percent, which translates to around 488 million cubic meters – or about half the capacity of Angat Dam.
High NRW rates are attributed to the lack of budget of most water districts to install new pipes, conduct regular maintenance and repairs, and the “virtual” water-loss component due to meter inaccuracies, illegal connections and billing errors.
Ridon, for his part, said: “Studies have shown how NRW management can become a quick yet responsive solution to water shortages. It’s a win-win situation for the consumers and the service providers – as addressing water system loss can improve both the much-needed supply and a service provider’s bottom line.”
“As the world braces for the harsh effects of El Niño, one concrete way for our legislators to help is funding capital outlay requirements to upgrade the infrastructure of water districts across the country and effectively stave off water system loss. House Speaker Romualdez is correct: addressing NRW rates is a low-hanging fruit in the road to water security ripe for the taking,” Ridon added.
Ridon, a former lawmaker, noted that with LWUA’s current budget, it could not effectively implement programs and projects that can stave off water system loss.
For 2024, LWUA – the government agency with regulatory power over 532 water districts in cities and provinces outside of Metro Manila – has been allotted a budget of Php364.4 million.
“How can LWUA extend financial support to our water districts if given a budget comparable to a regional level-office in other departments.
Isn’t it logical to give LWUA billions – and not millions? We’re talking about water here – a universal basic need,” Ridon stressed, noting that in various portions of the 2024 National Expenditure Program, billions are put into programs and projects that would pale compared to water provision.
“Take for example the over Php10.1 billion budget for confidential and intelligence funds. If the government can spare this much for something so opaque and secretive that even most legislators don’t know its actual use, why scrimp on giving subsidies to improve our water services?” Ridon asked.
Infrawatch PH also noted that based on LWUA’s data, only about one in three Filipinos presently have access to a “level III water system,” or a “water supply facility with a source, a reservoir, a piped distribution network with an adequate treatment facility, and household taps, as defined by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Increasing the number of “households in operational water district areas with direct access to level III potable water supply and adequate sanitation” is one of LWUA’s stated operational outputs.
“However, with loose change as budget, how can the agency achieve its organizational outcome?” Ridon asked.
“Worse, the past decades have shown how the government’s laidback policy of letting water districts fend for themselves resulted in a situation where over 160 water districts in the country are already under Joint Venture Agreements or JVAs – in other words, privatized,” Ridon said.