Congressional inquiry into local water districts sought

Photo courtesy of Sanggunian in Action
Photo courtesy of Sanggunian in Action

ILOILO – The Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) passed a resolution calling on the House of Representatives to investigate the state of local water districts across the region.

Statistics from the 2023 annual report on Environmental Health and Sanitation Services collected by the Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) showed that only 37 percent of the total 550,000 households in Iloilo have access to potable water, significantly below the national average of 48 percent.

Particularly concerning were the municipalities of Concepcion and Ajuy, with only seven and one percent of households having access to safe drinking water, respectively.

In response to these challenges, Provincial Administrator Raul Banias convened key provincial government departments to discuss potential solutions, including accelerated rain harvesting and water impounding programs in anticipation of recurring El Niño effects.

For 2024, the provincial government has earmarked P30 million for the potable water system for barangays, with expectations for increased funding due to the gravity of water access issues.

Banias emphasized the provincial government’s intention to engage more closely with water districts to expand service coverage, underscoring that access to safe water is a basic human right.

The SP’s push for a congressional probe followed the concerns raised by Board Member Domingo Oso over the performance of water districts which “play an important role in providing potable water services to ensure that we have access to reliable and affordable water supply.”

Oso highlighted the necessity to amend Presidential Decree No. 198, enacted on May 25, 1973, which established local control over water systems and formed water districts. He argued that the decree, now over five decades old, needs revisiting to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of water districts.

For his part, Board Member Matt Palabrica pointed out that many local government units remain underserved due to the limitations of the current framework, which only applies to areas with existing water districts.

He called for a more inclusive and comprehensive approach to address these gaps, especially highlighting his hometown Bingawan, which he referred to as one of the most water-scarce municipalities in the country./PN

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