Water Insecurity Issues
The Philippines is considered as one of the poorest countries in the world and one of the most vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate change, especially on water resources. Occurrences of extreme climate events like droughts in the course of ENSO (El Nino Southern Oscillation) and floods during tropical storms and monsoons are big threats to the major water reservoirs in the country (Jose & Cruz, 1999).
Water is the most essential resource that all living organisms and humans need in order to sustain life. Almost every human activity involves the use of water and this resource is now considered as a scarce commodity. As the demand for water increases, competitions over the use of this limited resource also increase (IRI 2013). The Angat Water Reservoir, a multipurpose dam located just outside Metro Manila, is the primary source of domestic water supply in Metro Manila that has a population of more than 11 million. It is also utilized as irrigation source for the Province of Bulacan and for hydropower generation that supplies 248 MW for Island of Luzon (IRI 2013).
With the pressing problems of water competition in Metro Manila and other parts of the country, the Philippine government acknowledged the urgency of effective water resources management that resulted to the instigation of Integrated Water Resources Management in the Philippines (IWRM), which is an inter-government agency effort. The primary objective of this is to harmonize all government initiatives and programs to attain a more focused implementation on water resources management on hydropower, water supply and sanitation, irrigation and other water use (NWRB, 2005, p.156). One of the major programs is to regulate the use of water resources, especially the Angat Water Reservoir. Proper allocation of water use for different utilization was designed so as not to further deplete the water resource in times of drought.
Sufficiency in clean water supply for all sectors is a great
Water is the most essential resource that all living organisms and humans need in order to sustain life. Almost every human activity involves the use of water and this resource is now considered as a scarce commodity. As the demand for water increases, competitions over the use of this limited resource also increase (IRI 2013). The Angat Water Reservoir, a multipurpose dam located just outside Metro Manila, is the primary source of domestic water supply in Metro Manila that has a population of more than 11 million. It is also utilized as irrigation source for the Province of Bulacan and for hydropower generation that supplies 248 MW for Island of Luzon (IRI 2013).
With the pressing problems of water competition in Metro Manila and other parts of the country, the Philippine government acknowledged the urgency of effective water resources management that resulted to the instigation of Integrated Water Resources Management in the Philippines (IWRM), which is an inter-government agency effort. The primary objective of this is to harmonize all government initiatives and programs to attain a more focused implementation on water resources management on hydropower, water supply and sanitation, irrigation and other water use (NWRB, 2005, p.156). One of the major programs is to regulate the use of water resources, especially the Angat Water Reservoir. Proper allocation of water use for different utilization was designed so as not to further deplete the water resource in times of drought.
Sufficiency in clean water supply for all sectors is a great
References: International Research Institute for Climate Society 2013, Managing Competing Water Uses in the Philippines: Angat Reservoir, International Research Institute for Climate Society, viewed 23 February 2014, http://iri.columbia.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/angat.pdf Jose, AM & Cruz, AC 1999, ‘Climate Change Impacts and Responses in the Philippines: Water Resources’, Climate Research, vol.2, pp.77-84. United Nations 2005, ‘National Water Resources Board Strategic Planning and Management of Integrated Water Resources Management in the Philippines’, United Nations Publications, viewed 23 February 2014,