Urbanites have worriedly noticed the water coming out of the faucet in trickles. And, there are many, even in the supposedly rich cities and province of Cebu, who are in worse situations.
The access to safe, clean and available water is still a day-to-day challenge. Farmers, including those in the mountain barangays, are deeply affected by the lack of it. I have also talked to women in a municipality in Cebu known for its rich marine life who have to stay awake past midnight daily for them to store enough for their needs the following day. These are just a few of the instances where water and sanitation are still huge issues, and not just in Cebu.
It has to be mentioned that the health, sanitation and environmental protection have been devolved to the local government units under RA 7160, the Local Government Code. It is not as if LGUs have no financial resources. They receive 40 percent of the national income through the internal revenue allotment or IRA. Under section 17 of the Code, they are required to allot the IRA and their revenues primarily to the delivery of essential services such as health and the environment. We know of some exemplary local authorities prioritizing health services and providing facilities to ensure the delivery of clean water to their constituents. But, exactly how many are doing so?
It should be emphasized that the right to water is a universal right. Depriving the people of such basic need is incompatible with a life of dignity. In 2010, the United Nations General Assembly through Resolution 64/292 expressly “recognized the human right to water and sanitation and acknowledged that clean drinking water and sanitation are essential to the realization of all human rights.” The right to water is defined as “the right of everyone to sufficient, safe, acceptable and physically accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic uses.”
What does “physically accessible” mean? The World Health Organization declares that “the water source has to be within 1,000 meters of the home and collection time should not exceed 30 minutes.” (https://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/human_right_to_water.shtml)
Water quality is likewise an issue. Contaminated water and poor sanitation have caused outbreaks of diseases such as cholera and typhoid in some areas.
The Philippines Environment Monitor 2006 pointed out that in the Philippines, “58 percent of the sampled groundwater tested positive for coliform bacteria. Surveys of LGUs have also indicated that one half or more of their public water systems do not meet drinking water quality standards. In addition to contributing to endemic levels of disease from daily consumption and exposure, contaminated water supplies have resulted in outbreaks causing 5,000 cases of diarrhea, typhoid, and cholera over the past three years. The reasons for the contamination can largely be traced to a combination of an inadequate sanitation system and a water supply system that is susceptible to contamination.”(https://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTPHILIPPINES/Resources/PEM06-chapter2.pdf)
Cebu has a big water problem and this has been a known fact for decades. Data abound to emphasize the point. But, are stakeholders especially key decision makers such as local government units integrating the water problem and, not to be forgotten, impacts of climate change in evaluating whether certain projects, especially those which are heavy water users, should be allowed?
We sigh at the onslaught of construction projects and now, the incomprehensible and simultaneous plans of covering the coasts and fragile marine habitats, also known as “reclamation”, in the cities of Toledo and Lapu-lapu and the municipalities of seagrass-rich Cordova and Minglanilla. The massive direct and cumulative impacts of said projects to the already imbalanced state of nature, as reflected by the gigantic water problem, and the climate crisis we all face, are obviously disregarded.
Why are LGUs allowed to undertake destructive and unplanned “development” projects when they could not even deliver the essential services they are mandated to provide their constituents? Why are there places still without safe water systems, marine protected areas and ecological waste management?
How many LGUs have even crafted and updated the essential comprehensive land use plans and other management plans that various environmental laws require? By allowing the defaulting LGUs to undertake such projects, we are turning a blind eye to massive failures and blatant refusal to implement our laws.
How long can we continue with this state of neglect? The severe depletion of resources and fossil-fuel lifestyles have put us in direct collision with Nature. What kind of future do we want to leave our children when we are destroying the very sources of life and have so affected the balance of nature.
This second typhoon to hit us this summer season hopefully compels us already to pursue a sustainable way of life which should properly be our shared legacy to the future generation.
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
