The state of water resources in the Philippines - Greenpeace

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heavy precipitation events, which can increase runoff in most areas as well as groundwater recharge in some floodplains. Occurrences of extreme climatic events like droughts and floods have serious negative implications for major water reservoirs in the country as well, as shown in a study conducted in five major reservoirs in Luzon and one reservoir in Mindanao (Crisis and Opportunity). More cold, La Niña-type episodes were observed during the 70s, while the 80s and 90s were characterized by the occurrence of four strong, warm periods (1982-83, 1986-87, 1991-92 and the 1997-98 El Nino events) causing consistent negative anomalies of rainfall and inflow. The expected climate changes that could affect rainfall distribution will ultimately affect runoff to rivers and lakes. On the other hand, decrease in runoff because of frequent drought episodes, would mean more serious problems in water availability. IV. Legal and policy framework relating to water quality control, use and management A. Policies pertaining to water use and management One of the earliest attempts at systematic management of water has been the adoption of a National Water Code in 1976 Presidential Decree 1067 (1976) (EMB, Philippine Country Assessment, p. 3). According to this report, the Code defines the following: 1. the basic principles and structural framework relating to appropriation, control, conservation, and protection of water resources to achieve their optimum development and efficient use to meet present and future needs; 2. the scope of the rights and obligations of water users and provides for the protection and regulation of such rights; and 3. the necessary administrative machinery. Other related laws are outlined in Table 5 (next page). GREENPEACE | The state of water in the Philippines 32
Laws Republic Act No. 8041, National Water Crisis Act of 1995 Republic Act No. 198, Creation of Provincial Water Utilities (1973) Presidential Decree No. 1586, Environmental Impact Statement System (1978) Presidential Decree No. 424 Republic Act No. 7160, Local Government Code Description Addresses the issues of water supply, privatization of state-run water facilities, protection and conservation of watersheds and the waste and pilferage of water Authorizes the creation of local water districts to operate and administer water supply and wastewater disposal systems in the provincial areas Mandates the conduct of environmental impact assessment studies for all investments undertaken by the government and private sector Creation of the National Water Resource Council Devolves enforcement of laws on sanitation to LGUs and the provision of basic services such as water supply, sanitation and flood control Table 5. Laws pertaining to water use and management B. Laws pertaining to water quality control The Philippine Environment Code (PD 1151) defines the basic elements of a regulatory program, with regulatory functions consisting of discharge standards, permits, monitoring, and enforcements. In addition, there are national laws that define policy and deal with the abatement, control, and water quality management, as shown in the table below. Related Policies Brief Description R.A. No. 9275, Clean Water Act (2004) Commonwealth Act 383, Anti- Dumping Law (1938) Presidential Decree 984, Pollution Control Law (1976) Republic Act No. 9003, Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 Provides for a program and regulations for the abatement and management of water pollution from point and non-point sources Introduces market-based instruments (MBIs) such as the wastewater charge system that imposes fees based on the volume of effluents discharged Strengthens enforcement by providing stiffer penalties for violations of standards The permitting system has been modified to accommodate the fee system based on amount of pollution discharged Prohibits dumping of refuse, waste matter or other substances into rivers Provides guidelines for the control of water pollution from industrial sources and sets penalties for violations, also requires all polluters to secure permits Calls for the institutionalization of a national program that will manage the transfer, transport, processing, and disposal of solid waste in the country Sec. 40 sets the criteria for siting landfills to ensure that their operation do not affect aquifers, groundwater reservoirs or watersheds. GREENPEACE | The state of water in the Philippines 33
Page 1 and 2: G The state of water resources in t
Page 3 and 4: Contents 4 List of tables 5 Definit
Page 5 and 6: Definition of terms Aquifer - a geo
Page 7 and 8: Surface water - all water which is
Page 9 and 10: NCR NPC OA PRRP POPs PNSDW PBE PRIM
Page 11 and 12: I. Surface water and groundwater re
Page 13 and 14: II. Quality of water resources The
Page 15 and 16: The EMB report on monitoring of DO
Page 17 and 18: The Marilao River was the subject o
Page 19 and 20: As stated in the EMB report, domest
Page 21 and 22: In addition, the Philippines has al
Page 23 and 24: In another study conducted on banan
Page 25 and 26: health (for example, malignant tumo
Page 27 and 28: Based on 2003 data, 63 percent of g
Page 29 and 30: The Greenpeace report Crisis or Opp
Page 31: E. Other threats to water availabil
Page 35 and 36: C. Ambient water quality standards
Page 37 and 38: Parameter Unit Protected Waters Cat
Page 39 and 40: copper, nickel, tin, vanadium and z
Page 41 and 42: infrastructure development with res
Page 43 and 44: Chloride (PVC) from their new mobil
Page 45 and 46: References Abanto, Arnel. 2001. Phi
Page 47 and 48: http://www.unido.org/userfiles/timm
Page 49: Cole, Stephen. May 1, 1998. The Eme

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