PHILIPPINE FRESHWATER RESOURCES: STRATEGIES

FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

RAFAEL D. GUERRERO ill

Philippine Council for Aquatic and
Marine Research and Development
Los Banos. 4031 Laguna

ABSTRACT

Water is essential Jor life and sustainable human development. Despite its
vast Jreshwater resources consisting oj lakes. swamps. rivers. reservoirs and ground-
water. the Philippines has an impeding ·water crisis· because oj rapid depletion
and deterioration oj such resources brought about by increasing demand Jor
human. agricultural and industrial.
Policies and laws Jor national conservation and management oj the
country's Jreshwater resources seem adequate. There is an urgent need. however.
to restructure and strengthen the national coordinating and regulating agency
Jor water. promote public and private participation Jor rehabilitation oj water-
sheds and the efficient delivery oj water services as well as the exercise oj political
will Jor water policy/law enJorcement to ensure sustainable development oj such
vital resources.

IN1RODUcnON

Water is essential for life and sustainable human development. Freshwater

constitutes only 2.7% of the earth's water resources. Two-thirds of the water from
rainfall goes back to the atmosphere through evaporation. Of the remaining water,
more than one-half flows out into the sea. Only 8% of the world's freshwater is
used for human and sanitation needs, while 60-70% is used for agriculture and 20%
for industry (Singh, 1996).
The Philippines has a rainfall of 2500 mm and freshwater resources consisting
of surface inland waters (lakes, rivers, reservoirs and swamps) and groundwater.
There are about 70 lakes in the country with an aggregate area of 200,000 hectares
and 106,328 hectares of freshwater swamps. There are also 424 principal rivers and
30,000 hectares of dams and reservoirs in the country. The groundwater in the
aquifers of the Philippines has been estimated to be under a 100,000 square kilome-
ter area (Guerrero, 1995).
120
 Rafael D. Guerrero III 121

There is an impending freshwater crisis in the world because of the increas-

ing demand for human, agricultural and industrial needs, and the depletion as well
as contamination of freshwater resources. The water avai lability per person in Asia
that was 10,000 m3 in 1950 is expected to be only 3,000 m3 per person by the year
2000 (Singh, 1996). In the Philippines, only 76% of the population had access to
potable water in 1992.
This paper will assess the current status of freshwater resources in the Phil-
ippines, review water conservation and management policies and discuss strategies
for the sustainable development of such resources.

STA111S OF FRESHWATER

In 1950, per capita water availability in the Philippines was 9,600 m3. It is now
down to about 3,300 cubic meters. Destruction of forest watersheds and drainage
of wetlands have reduced the capacity of such resources to hold and release water.
The country's present forest cover is much lower than the optimal 54% (Liew,
1996). There has been a drop of 30-50% in the country's water resources in the past
20 years (Alejandrino, 1996).
As of 1994, there were 1.532 million hectares of agricultural land in the coun-
try which were provided with irrigation facilities. The effectively irrigated area only
represents 49% of the total irrigable area of3.126 million hectares. With lahar flows
in Central Luzon and decreasing water supply due to watershed denudation, irriga-
tion efficiencies in the country have decreased (NIA, 1991). Water use efficiency
for rice irrigation in the Philippines is only 30-40% in the wet season and 40-60% in
the dry season (Spurgeon, 1995).
Major lakes and reservoirs in the country are adversely affected by sedimen-
tation due to watershed denudation and soil erosion. The fisheries productivity of
such waters has declined because of water quality deterioration and habitat de-
struction. The hydroelectric power generating capacity of heavily silted dams has
been much reduced.
The future of Laguna de Bay, the country's largest lake, is threatened with
main-induced stresses as sedimentation, over-exploitation of its fisheries and pollu-
tion. Forest cover of the lake's watershed has been reduced from 93,000 hectares in
1963 to less than 18,000 hectares in 1988 because of human activities. Soil erosion
from deforested areas in the main contributor of sediment to the lake. The sediment
loading has been estimated at 1.5 million cubic meter per year (Guerrero, 1996).
Of the 74 designed water quality monitoring stations surveyed in various
parts of the country, 65% showed water quality already deteriorated beyond the
beneficial use of the stations. Forty-seven percent of the river stations surveyed
had water quality lower than the worst classification. Some 40 rivers which are
major sources of water for industry and major population centers were found to be
polluted to a degree of critical concern (NWRB, 1995).
122 SCIENTIFIC PAPER: PHILIPPINE FRESHWATER

Groundwater nitrate levels in some agricultural areas in I1ocos Norte have

been found to be almost double the safe limits. Endosulfan, a commonly used
pesticide, was found in 79% of well water samples in rice growing areas of the
country. The levels of toxic metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium and zinc have
been found to be increasing in Laguna de Bay (Tuong, 1955).
Saltwater intrusion of aquifers in heavily urbanized areas as Metro Manila as
a result of overpumping of groundwater has been reported (Haman, 1996).

WATER CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT POLICIES

There appears to be adequate laws and regulations for the protection, con-
servation and management of the country's freshwater resources. Among others,
such laws include the creation of a National Water Resources Council, a Water
Code, the establishment of the Presidential Committee on Water Conservation and
Demand Management and the National Water Crisis Act.
Presidential Decree No. 424 (1974) created the National Water Resources
Council (NWRC) to coordinate and integrate water resources development in the
country for social and economic progress and to meet present and future needs for
water. The NWRC which was later restructured into the national Water Resources
Board is tasked to "coordinate and integrate on a sound and logical basis the
national plans and policies for the appropriation and utilization of surface and
groundwater; undertake river basin surveys and establish, operate and maintain
observation networks and a centralized water resources data center for the scien-
tific surface and appraisal of surface and groundwater potentials of the country;
and to conduct or promote special studies and researches with other government
or private agencies on related aspects of water resources development."
Presidential Decree No. 1067 (1976) instituted a Water Code which consoli-
dated laws governing the ownership, appropriation, utilization, exploitation,
development, conservation and protection of the country's water resources subject
to the control and regulation of the government through the National Water Re-
sources Council.
The Philippine Constitution of 1987 provides that the exploration, develop-
ment and utilization of natural resources (including water) to be under the full
control and supervision of the State (Article XII).
Executive Order No. 222 (1995) established the Presidential Committee on
Water Conservation and Demand Management to prepare a nationwide Water Con-
servation Plan to cover conservation measures focusing on both the quality and
quantity of water and undertake a nationwide information campaign. The Commit-
tee came about because of the "water crisis" that impelled the need for a national
water program to the implemented through coordinative, consultative and mutually
supportive mechanisms where the private sector plays an active role."
 Rafael D. Guerrero III 123

The National Water Crisis Act of 1995 (Republic Act No. 8041) addresses the
country's water problem through an integrated water management program and the
development of new water resources and the conservation of identified watershed,
among other provisions.

STRATEGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVEWPMENT

OF FRESHWATER RESOURCES

Sustainable development implies the utilization of the earth's natural resources

(including water) "in a regenerative manner so as to preserve them not only for the
present generation but for all generations to come" (La Vina, 1991).
Despite the existing constitutional and legal framework governing the utiliza-
tion of the country's freshwater resources on a supposedly rational and sustainable
basis, the depletion and contamination of such resources due to the factors earlier
mentioned go on unabated at an alarming rate. Why is this so?
According to B. Gujja of the World Wildlife Fund International's Freshwater
Progr·amme, ensuring the availability of freshwater on a sustainable basis requires
an ecosystems and cross-sectoral approach. There is need to manage water re-
sources considering "social equity and ecological sustainability" (Singh, 1996).
Various strategies and action programs have been proposed for the sustain-
able development of freshwater resources in the Philippines.
The National Irrigation Ad ministration ( 1991) proposed the following mea-
sures for maximizing use of available water:

1. Construction 0 f reservoir-type projects

2. Redesign of irrigation facilities to reuse return flows
3. Engineering measures to minimize water conveyance losses
4. Involvement of farmers for better planning of cropping calendars and
irrigation delivery schedules.

Cruz (1995) endorsed the holistic, integrated and systematic approach for
effective planning and management of the country's watersheds as a multi-resource
with social equity and multi-sectoral participation.
Liew (1996) recommended the following action plans for addressing the
country's "water crisis":

I. Formulation of policies that stress integrated water resource manage-

ment;
2. Mapping out of a water resource management system which should
include the inventory of available land and water resources, projection
of development potential of water resources, demand-management ac-
tion plans projection of community water demand and environmental
impacts assessment for future development projects.
124 SCIENTIFIC PAPER: PHILIPPINE FRESHWATER

3. Decentralizing water projects such as irrigation, sewerage and flood

control to local government units (LGUs);
4. Rehabilitation of deforested watersheds for minimizing floods and soil
erosion; and
5. Promoting reforms in the water service sector such as mobilizing pri-
vate sector participation and strengthening the ability of water supply
institutions to serve their clientele.

There is also an urgent need for legislative action to restructure and structure
and strengthen to national coordinating and regulating agency for water resources,
the National Water Resources Board. While the NWRB has the legal mandate to
carry out the herculean tasks of conserving and managing the country's freshwater
resources, it does not have the control and financial capability to carry them out.
Water conservation and management should be every citizen's concern. Thus,
there is need for public information dissemination to instill awareness and disci-
pline for water saving practices and consciousness.
Lastly, the strategy for exercising political will at all levels of society for the
implementation of water development based on ecological sustainability and the
unrelenting enforcement of water laws and policies is strongly urged.

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 Rafael D. Guerrero III 125

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