40M Filipinos have no access to clean water

THE number of Filipinos without access to clean water as of 2024 is at 40 million, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said.

During the Waste and Water Summit on Friday, DENR Undersecretary Carlos Primo David presented that 20 million Filipinos get their clean water supply through the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, which controls the National Capital Region.

Some 20 million are being supplied by water districts and another 20 million by local government unit (LGU)run systems. While private water service providers cater to 10 million Filipinos.

“For us to be able to provide water to the 40 million Filipinos that still do not have access to a formal water supply, we need roughly around P250 billion to provide that water, the supply and the necessary piping for distribution,” said David.

According to the official, access to clean water is not very expensive averaging only to P165 per month for every household.

“But every time that an LGU will subsidize a household, another household will have to pay double that price,” he said.

With the national average water rate of P22 per cubic meter, David said that portion of it amounting to P10 goes to the supply, about P3 for all the pipes and pumps required for the distribution and P9 for the maintenance.

Meanwhile, water supply and distribution will have to be planned and financed by the national government through the DENR and the Department of the Interior and the Local Government.

“Out of the P22 [per cubic meter], I think the national government should finance the P13, and the LGU will have to shoulder the P9 by collecting the proper amount from the residents who are using this water,” said David.

“However, for the maintenance and operations of the system, it will have to be the LGU through the water districts or through your own separate LGU enterprise,” he added.

Furthermore, the official said that the rest of the country will require some form of investments to improve water services and provide basic sanitation services.