LWUA completes P1B worth of water supply projects

THE Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) has wrapped up projects worth P1.045 billion for the year 2023, which is more than double the disbursements the previous year.

According to LWUA Administrator Vicente Homer Revil, these include eight completed water supply projects that benefitted an additional 95,000 households in 2022.

These projects are included in the agency’s masterplan called “Patubig Para Sa Buong Bayan at Mamamayan” or PBBM which will continue until 2028.

This is just the beginning or the first year of implementation of the five-year program, which ultimately aims to serve an additional 670,000 households or around 2.7 million Filipinos nationwide. This is equivalent to an increase of 12 percent in nationwide household coverage of local water districts (LWDs)

LWDs have their own initiated projects, also for the next five years, which aim to serve an additional 1.14 million households or 4.67 million Filipinos, equivalent to 21 percent increase in the number of households served.

Overall, the package of projects is expected to serve an additional 1.8 million households or 7.5 million individuals, translating to a 33 percent increase in households covered.

This year, LWUA will be focusing on mitigating the effects of El Niño and improving people’s access to safe and affordable water through high-impact projects such as operationalizing nonoperational water districts, bulk water supply, and water treatment facilities, in line with President Marcos’ call to ensure water security for Currently, LWUA oversees and regulates 533 water districts, spread among 648 cities and towns in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.