EDITORIAL - Still waiting for running water

Water supply interruptions in Metro Manila this summer may finally end after the National Water Resources Board approved last Friday the request of the two water concessionaires for an additional allocation of 52 cubic meters per second, effective until next month, from the initial amount of 50 cms.

Across the country, however, millions of households still lack access to running water. A survey conducted by pollster Social Weather Stations from Dec. 10 to 14 last year showed that only 67 percent of households have access to running or piped water. That translates to approximately 17 million of the 25 million households nationwide.

This problem has been around for decades, aggravating public health issues since the lack of piped water means poor sanitation, which engenders the spread of germs. Basic personal health practices such as hand washing, regular bathing and toilet hygiene become difficult when one has to fetch fresh water in communal deep wells or nearby streams.

The lack of access to clean water has been blamed for the periodic emergence of cholera – a disease that is supposed to have been eradicated years ago – all over the country including in Metro Manila. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the seriousness of the problem as millions of Filipinos found it challenging to practice the hand hygiene that is among the basic defenses against coronavirus infection.

In 2017, the Department of Health said the government was targeting the provision of basic toilet facilities for 100 percent of households nationwide by 2022. All targets, of course, were thrown askew by COVID-19. As of 2020, the first year of the pandemic, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported that around seven million Filipinos were still openly defecating or using unimproved toilets.

With pandemic restrictions lifted and the economy reopening, water and sanitation targets can be revived by the government. The SWS survey should provide additional impetus for this. The United Nations considers access to water and sanitation as a human right. Millions of Filipinos continue to be deprived of this right.