Water Quality Management Programs in the Philippines

Sources: EMB Region(2006), ADB(2007), Mariano Marcos State University students

Legal framework for water governance in the Phils.

1987 Constitution which mandates that all water resources belong to the State; Presidential Decree (PD) 1067 in 1976 or The Water Code of the Philippines; Republic Act (RA) 8041 in 1995 or The Water Crisis Act; Executive Order No. 364 in 1996, which created the Presidential Task Force on Water Resources Development and Management; and Clean Water Act in 2004

R.A. 9275 Clean Water Act (CWA) in 2004

its innovations in water quality management, the Act and its IRR require integrated approach, stronger collaboration among stakeholders, and promotion of coownership of the water bodies. ADB warned that water availability in the Philippines could be "unsatisfactory" in eight of its 19 major river basins and in most major cities before 2025 (ADB, 2007); Local governance initiated on water quality management program (WQMP) and intervention reforms;

Major Institutions involved in the Philippine Water Sector

Policies and Laws on water quality management Program

Some Local Community Policies and Regulations on Water Quality Management Program

Some Water Quality Management Program Implemented by Government.

Water Quality Management Program

WQMP emanates from national policies and regulations; Specific enforcement requirements are mandated through enactment of ordinances from provincial, municipal, or city governments; Programs and activities to control water pollution and protect water bodies are spearheaded by various government agencies, The Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water of 1993 outlines various parameters to be used in the analysis of drinking water quality; There are currently 56 bacteriological, physical, chemical, radiological, and biological parameters to be monitored.

Water quality monitoring in Water Refilling Stations:

Source water and product water are subject to regular monitoring by the local health office. The national standards for drinking water contains 56 parameters that must be complied with. Only DOH-accredited laboratories are allowed to conduct water testing and analysis. The frequency of monitoring is as follows:

Bacteriological quality -at least monthly Physical quality -at least every six (6) months Chemical quality -at least every six (6) months Biological quality -at least once a year Monitoring of radioactive contaminants shall be done only if there is significant input of radiation from the surrounding environment.

Parameters monitored (Physicochemical):

dissolved

oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), and heavy metals DO, coliform, and heavy metals for coastal and marine waters; and biological parameters such as phytoplankton, zooplankton, and benthos were monitored in selected water bodies.

Challenges in WQMP

Strict Enforcement of Water Policies Enhance enforcement capability and capacity to immediately address deteriorating water bodies Promote compliance to all industries discharging to the Regions water bodies Strengthening of InterAgency Collaboration Collaborate with other agencies like the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), National Water Resources Board (NWRB), and LGUs in implementing WQMP

 Enhancement

of Resources and Capabilities of Personnel Augment water quality management personnel (Currently, four fulltime personnel are incharge of monitoring more than 78,000 industries and 84 water bodies.) Build capacity on water quality management through continuous training Increase budget allocation to meet the s water quality management targets

 Management

of Domestic Wastes Enhance solid waste management program by providing support to the LGUs through capacity building programs

Sustained

Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) Campaign by Education Institutions Establish disclosure mechanism on water quality management issues Develop and publish IEC materials regularly

Best Practices and Lessons Learned in WQMP

River Water Quality Managementcapacitated local farmers in understanding and performing water quality monitoring that was focused on drinking water quality and its impact to public health (World Bank, 2003). Lake Water Quality ManagementLaguna Lake is one of Southeast Asias largest inland water bodies. Since its establishment in 1966 through RA 4850, the LLDA has been protecting and preserving the quality of the Lake as well as the 21 river systems that flow into it

 PublicPrivate

Sectors Collaboration to Promote CP. Interagency collaboration has demonstrated success in transforming the paradigm of industries to focus on an integrated, preventive environmental strategy to processes, products, and services to increase efficiency and reduce risks to humans and the environment.

Table 1. Progress in Achieving MDG Targets, and IDWA values.

Food and WQMP Initiatives at MMSU

Mobile Packaging Facility for food and water products for local communities.

 regular

food and water quality monitoring to special studies on analytical method formulation and/or validation and testing of substances to assess impacts on water pollution and food product development to help local entrepreneurs.

 initiative

is being done to conduct current good manufacturing practices (cGMP) on food and water resources for crop production, dormitories, faculty houses and water refilling projects for MMSU and for food processors of vinegar/wine, local sausage and other local food products in the community.

Implications
Clean

Water Act of 2004 require appropriate planning processes, regulations, capital investments, and resources; It is evident that more actions and resources are needed to build on existing water quality management programs;

Organizing Stakeholders

Conclusion
Major

water quality challenges are felt to improve the quality of its surface, ground, and coastal waters; The government pursue aggressive strategic plans to address the seemingly decreasing trend of the quality of water bodies; The active involvement and participation of stakeholders is important in implementing WQMP;

Recommendations
Successful

WQMP requires a strong communitybased effort with stakeholder involvement, good partnership building and collaborative decision making on best management practices; The challenge is to internalize the message that water is an important resource and that everyone has to play a role in the conservation and management of our water environment;