EDITORIAL - A basic need

It is one of the best indicators, a lawmaker said, that economic growth has not trickled down to the poor: over seven million Filipinos defecate in the open while 570,000 others use open-pit latrines, buckets and other “unimproved sanitation facilities.”

This is according to a report prepared by the World Health Organization and United Nations Children’s Fund, released last year, which lawmakers are citing to push for improvements in the nation’s water and sanitation facilities.

The Unicef-WHO report also said that an estimated 2.3 million Filipinos still drink untreated water taken directly from rivers, dams and canals, while another 6.1 million get their water from unimproved facilities such as unprotected wells and springs. The lack of safe water sources has been a primary reason for the prevalence of water-borne diseases, which continue to account for a significant number of children’s deaths in the country.

The archipelago is blessed with an abundance of lakes, rivers and natural mountain springs. Much of the country is also inundated with torrential rains for at least three months each year, during which fresh water can be saved and stored for the dry season. The problems are the lack of water and sanitation infrastructure as well as better resource management.

Sanitation and water facilities are a problem even in Metro Manila, where men can still be seen relieving themselves against walls, posts and vehicles even on busy streets. Informal settlements mushroom around waterways, despite the high risk of being swept away during heavy flooding, because rivers and canals serve as open sewers. It took loud criticism from politicians before public toilets became operational in several stations of the Metro Manila Transit. In areas near Metro Manila, geologists have warned that sinkholes may appear as a result of too much extraction of ground water through deep wells.

People forced to defecate in the open usually also lack clean water at home to wash their hands regularly. For the very poor, this in turn can create health problems that are serious enough to cause death especially for the most vulnerable – children, the elderly and infirm. Providing sanitary toilets and clean water facilities in poor communities can vastly improve public health and ease the burdens of poverty. Meeting this basic need deserves high priority.