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Dirty tap water forces poor to pay more

PATERNO ESMAQUEL II, GMA NewsSeptember 13, 2011 1:18am



While living only a few steps away from two of Metro Manilas major water treatment plants, sari-sari
store owner Edralin Cartel wouldnt dare let her family drink water from the tap.

The 29-year-old mother has reason to be concerned. Only last year, her 7-year-old daughter Beverly
contracted amoebiasis, a food and water-borne disease, supposedly from contaminated water in
school. Prior to this incident, the Cartels found nothing wrong with drinking tap water.

Since then, Cartel has resorted to buying five-gallon jugs of purified water from a nearby refilling
station for her family of three, at P35 per jug once every two weeks.

This adds up to a monthly spending of P70 on bottled drinking wateron top of the P300 that she
has to shell out every month to pay for the water bills charged by a government-regulated water
service. Still, it is a small price to pay for health, says Cartel, whose house in Pansol, Quezon City, is
a 10-minute walk from the Balara treatment plant of her water supplier, Manila Water Company Inc.

With a combined income of around P16,000 a month, she and her husband, a computer technician,
could easily shoulder the added expense.

It is not the same story, however, for some 64,400 families in Metro Manila who live below the
poverty line.

Latest data from the National Statistical Coordination Board (NCSB) show that a Filipino family of
five needs at least P4,869 monthly to meet basic food needs.

In Metro Manila, where the minimum wage is pegged at P426 a day for non-agricultural industries
or P8,520 a month for those with five-day work weeksthe monthly income that a family needs to
stay out of poverty is pegged at P8,251. (A survey by the Social Weather Stations or SWS says 43
percent of NCR respondents rate themselves as poor.)

Basic need

Water is a basic human need.

Our bodies are estimated to be about 60 to 70 percent water. We need water to regulate body
temperature, transport nutrients and oxygen to our organs and tissues and cells, remove waste and
protect our joints and organs. We lose it through urination, respiration, and by sweating.

The jury is still out on how much water an individual needs on a daily basis in order to survive. The
popular notion is that we need to drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water a day to remain healthy.

Thus, a family of five will need to buy at least 11 five-gallon jugsthe equivalent of around 900
glasses a monthto meet this requirement if they depend on refilling stations for their drinking
water. This is equivalent to P385 monthly if the family buys per jug for P35.


The demand for safe drinking water has fueled a multimillion-peso water refilling station industry that
generated P1.6 billion in Metro Manila sales in May 2011 alone, based on a study released by
Kantar Worldpanel Philippines. This represents a 34-percent increase from the P1.2 billion recorded
sales in the same period in 2010, says Kantar.

Kantar, the local arm of a global market research firm, regularly monitors the purchasing behavior of
households toward fast-moving consumer goods, or those that are used on a daily basis such as
water.

A growing number of Metro Manila households is resorting to water from refilling stations amid
concerns over the safety of tap water, notes the research group.

In a household panel study, Kantar reports that over 6 out of 10 Metro Manila households bought
water from refilling stations at least once in 2010 alone. This represents a 22-percent increase from
figures that Kantar recorded a year earlier (Seegraph based on Kantar data).

The trend is by no means unique to Metro Manila. The entire country posted a 9-percent increase in
the demand for water from refilling stations in the same period, according to Kantar. Compared to
other urban areas in the Philippines, however, it is Metro Manila that has the most number of
residents who consider water from refilling stations safer."
Latest data from 2009 show Metro Manila as among the regions with the highest incidence of
diarrheal diseases and cholera (See sidebar). Both are food- and water-borne diseases.

Dr. April Navalta, a pediatrician, says children are especially at risk when drinking dirty tap water.
This can expose children to diseases such as acute gastroenteritis and typhoid fever, she says. If
you drink your tap water, you can never be so sure how clean your water is. So if youre using tap
water, you boil your water before drinking it," Navalta says.

State resource

If she can only be assured that tap water is safe, Cartel, a Manila Water customer, would rather
drink from the faucet given her water bills. Ang taas taas ng tubig namin eh. Dapat pagbutihin pa
nila yung serbisyo nila (We already have exorbitant water bills. They should improve their service),"
she says.

Consumers like Cartel have the right to demand quality service from water companies. After all,
water is a public utility. The Water Code of the Philippines, or Presidential Decree No. 1067 signed
by then President Marcos in 1976, is clear on who controls this resource: All waters belong to the
State." And since water is vital" to national development, the law subjects its utilization and
protection to the regulation and contr

Jose Carmelo Gendrano, deputy executive director of the advocacy group Philippine Center for
Water and Sanitation (PCWS), points out that water is different from other goods and services
because this resource is mobile. So an owner is hard put to defend his property rights over
it. Halimbawa, ako may spring sa akin. Hindi ko masasabi sa spring na, Huwag kang mag-flow. Dito
ka lang sa akin. Talagang magfo-flow yan (If I have a spring, for example, I cannot tell the spring,
Do not flow. Stay here. The spring will continue to flow)," he says.

The government also needs to exercise control over water because the mobility of this resource
allows for the spread of contaminants, according to Gendrano. I cannot just do whatever I want with
the water, na padumihin siya, kasi kakalat siya eh. Mag-ii-spread siya, especially downstream where
other people may be using it," Gendrano says.

Gendrano notes that the United Nations (UN) has come up with a resolution declaring the right to
safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right. Adopted in 2010, the resolution
acknowledges the importance of equitable, safe, and clean drinking water and sanitation as an
integral component of the realization of all human rights."

No free drinking water

It is thus the governments duty to provide the public with safe water to drink, Gendrano says. He
notes that the government could do this in two ways: through direct provision or through regulation.

Either way, potable water comes with a cost.

Money is needed to facilitate the flow of water from watersheds, to collect it in dams, to treat it, to
store it in reservoirs, and then to distribute it through pipe networks, says Gendrano.

Government can subsidize the provision of clean water, but to do so, it will have to get funds from
taxpayers. Gendrano says another option is for the government to tap private companies to treat and
distribute clean drinking water. These companies shall then charge customers so they can recover
their investments and make some profit in the process. Kasi pag malugi sila, kawawa rin ang
customers (Because if they lose money, the customers will suffer). Services will stop or deteriorate,"
Gendrano says.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon affirms this principle in his remarks at the UN General Assembly
plenary meeting on the human right to water and sanitation in July.

Let us be clear: a right to water and sanitation does not mean that water should be free. Rather, it
means that water and sanitation services should be affordable and available for all, and that States
must do everything in their power to make this happen," Ban says.

Water concessions

In Metro Manila and surrounding areas, the government has entrusted the task to provide the public
with water to Maynilad Water Services Inc. and Manila Water. The two companies get their mandate
from water-supply concessions that began in 1997 (See sidebar).

Based on the Water Code, both Maynilad and Manila Water are subject to government regulation.
The law that regulates water quality is the Sanitation Code of the Philippines. It requires water
supplies to pass the Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water (PNSDW), last updated in
2007 and promulgated by the Department of Health (DOH), which is the lead agency mandated to
implement the Sanitation Code.

In Metro Manila, a multi-sectoral committee monitors the compliance of Maynilad and Manila Water
with the PNSDW. Called the Metro Manila Drinking Water Quality Monitoring Committee, this is
chaired by the DOH Center for Health Development-Metro Manila. Other committee members
include the MWSS Regulatory Office, the Environmental Management Bureau, the National Water
Resources Board, Maynilad, Manila Water, and local government units.

Every month, the committee subjects water from Maynilad and Manila Water to a bacteriological,
physical, and chemical examination. Generally, Maynilad and Manila Water get positive certifications
from the committee, which they banner as a proof of quality.

In its latest water quality pronouncement, issued on August 26 for water used in July, the committee
said the drinking water in the Maynilad and Manila Water distribution systems is of sanitary quality
with adequate residual chlorine."

Unconvinced

Before our interview, Cartel did not know these findings, even that such a committee exists in the
first place. Informed about the positive findings, Cartel remains unconvinced.

Bakit magtatae yung mga bata? Lalo na pag umuulan, bakit madalas na magkaroon ng pagtatae
kapag umuulan kapag nanggagaling sa gripo yung tubig? Kaya di rin talaga kami nagtitiwala (Why
do the kids experience abnormal bowel movements? Why do they experience this especially on
rainy days, when they get water from the faucet? Thats why we cant easily believe them)," she
says.

Referring to DOH officials, Cartel adds, Di ako naniniwala na umiinom din sila dun sa gripo eh.
Malamang bumibili rin ng mineral water yung mga yun."

While believing that water is adequately treated at the nearby processing plants, she challenges
water suppliers to more closely monitor other reasons for contamination, such as leaking
pipes. Dapat nasa kanila rin yung pag-che-check nun, kung may problema yung tubo, kasi minsan
talagang di namin alam (They should also check the pipes for problems because sometimes we
really cannot tell)," says Cartel. with reports from Karlitos Brian Decena

(Next: Tap water in Metro a lot cleaner now, say experts)

This article was produced under the Maggie de Pano Fund for Investigative Reporting on Health.
The Fund, which is managed by Newsbreak, is funded through a grant from Macare Medicals Inc.





Tap water in Metro a lot cleaner now,
say experts
PATERNO ESMAQUEL II, GMA NewsSeptember 16, 2011 5:00pm
Reynaldo Sarmiento, a resident of Tondo, Manila, will always remember the time his father Aquilino,
70, succumbed to diarrhea after drinking tap water in 2003.

Aquilino and seven other Tondo residents died while over 800 more were hit in one of the biggest
outbreaks of water-borne diseases in the country in the past decade. Nagka-phobia na kami doon,"
says Reynaldo, a Maynilad consumer, who now makes it a point to serve only bottled water at least
to his familys toddlers.

Water from the two Metro Manila concessionaires is generally safe, according to experts. But the
public is not aware of this fact because they dont get real-time information on water quality from the
agencies.

In Metro Manila and surrounding areas, tap water is delivered to homes, offices, and establishments
through networks of pipelines managed by Maynilad Water Services Inc. and Manila Water
Company Inc., the two water concessionaires in the metropolis.

Maynilad and Manila Water derive their mandate from the privatization of the Metropolitan
Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS), which has been tasked since 1971 to deliver potable
water to Metro Manila residents and a few surrounding provinces (See Part 1: Dirty tap water forces
poor to pay more).

Stories of death and disease, however, have dirtied the image of Maynilad and Manila Water
through the years, spreading through anecdotes and receiving media attention.

Tondo, Manila, where the 2003 outbreak occurred, belonged to the concession area of Maynilad.
When the outbreak took place, the concession agreement was already in place.

Illegal connections, leakages

Both concessionaires invariably attribute incidents like the 2003 outbreak to reasons beyond their
control, such as illegal connections and poor hygiene.

Teresita Mancera, head of Maynilads Central Laboratory, says the Tondo outbreak took place in
areas where illegal connections proliferated and was therefore not the suppliers fault. Such
connections could lead to leakages that allow contaminants to seep into pipelines, Mancera
explains.

Reynaldo says his fathers water pipe was legally connected to Maynilad. Mancera points out,
however, that a neighbors illegal connection could also affect nearby legally connected households.

If you have a neighbor whos using a pump, it would create negative pressure dun sa linya (in the
pipeline). Sokung may kapitbahay ka na gumagamit ng pump, papasok na yung dirty water," she
says.

Jeric Sevilla, head of Manila Waters corporate communications division, shares the same view. We
are tasked to provide them with water, but our [responsibility] ends with the meter," Sevilla says.
From the meter, papasok na sa loob ng either bahay, either subdivision, condominium. That is
already the responsibility of the customer."

Six water stopovers

Both Maynilad and Manila Water vouch for the safety of their water transmission, treatment, and
distribution processes. They say that a number of their safety standards even exceed those required
by the government.

In these processes, a glass of water theoretically travels from as far as Umiray River in Nakar,
Quezon, to the two concessionaires water treatment plants in Balara and La Mesa in Quezon City.

Water makes at least six major stopovers to ensure its quality once it is delivered to individual
households in Metro Manila and surrounding areas.

The basic process involves the following steps:

flow of water from Umiray River, to Angat Dam, then to Ipo Dam

settling process in the Bicti Settling Basin

delivery of water to La Mesa Treatment Plants 1 and 2, and Balara Treatment Plants 1 and 2

water treatment involving four processesincluding coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation,
filtration, and disinfection

distribution of water using gravity and pumping
To kill contaminants in water, chlorine, a chemical disinfectant, is applied at different points of the
treatment process. The Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water (PNSDW) monitors the
waters chlorine level.

Compliance with drinking water standards is regulated by the Department of Health (DOH), the lead
agency tasked to implement the Sanitation Code of the Philippines.

In Metro Manila, the DOH-led Metro Manila Drinking Water Quality Monitoring Committee monitors
compliance with standards, and publishes water quality pronouncements every month.

Both Maynilad and Manila Water say they regularly pass and even exceed a number of PNSDW
requirementsin particular, the required level of residual chlorine. This refers to the amount of the
chemical remaining in the water once it reaches a customers faucet, considering that it gets
depleted every time it attacks bacteria and viruses.

The PNSDW requires a residual chlorine level of 0.3 parts per million. This means that if water, at
the treatment plant, is mixed with 0.7 ppm of chlorine and passes through kilometers of pipelines
with the chlorine killing impurities and getting used up along the waywater should still end up at a
household tap with 0.3 ppm of the disinfectant.

The PNSDW sets the maximum amount of chlorine, at any point of the distribution system, at 1.5
ppm.

Water from Maynilad has a residual chlorine level of 0.85 ppm, while that from Manila Water also
has 0.85 ppm, based on the latest water quality report that covered July this year. The
pronouncement was issued on August 26.

General improvements

The water testing processes themselves serve as proof that Metro Manilas water services have
improved since Maynilad and Manila Water took over from MWSS, according to Maynilads
Mancera.

She herself worked at MWSS from the 1980s until 1997, when she was transferred to Maynilad
following the privatization of MWSS services.


As an example, Mancera cites the number of fixed sampling points in the two companies
concession areas: 808 for Maynilad and 605 for Manila Water.

Mancera notes that before the privatization, MWSS only had 200 to 300 water sampling points for
both the West and East Zonesless than a third of the current sampling points of Maynilad and
Manila Water combined. So logistics-wise, were better off, which redounds to better customer
care, di ba?"

She also says Maynilad equips its laboratories with top of the line" instruments.

Both Maynilad and Manila Water add that they have successfully brought down non-revenue water
(NRW) or systems losses caused by leaks and defective meters, among other things.

The Asian Development Bank defines NRW as water that a water utility does not receive any
compensation for" as a result of leakages, inadequate measurement, and illegal and unauthorized
use.

In its fact sheet dated March this year, Maynilad reports that it has slashed its NRW level to 50
percent. For its part, Manila Water says it has reduced its NRW level to 11 percent as of 2010.

NRW reductions mean more resources to give the public, Manila Waters Sevilla explains. Reducing
the systems loss and recovering yung tubig na nawawala (the water that is lost) gives us the water
to provide to these areas lalo na yung mga depressed communities," he says.

Sevilla adds that lower NRW levels remove potential avenues for contamination."

In time for Ondoy

Dr. Lino Macasaet, DOH program manager for food-and-water-borne diseases, vouches for the
safety of Maynilad and Manila Waters potable water supplies.

Macasaet notes the massive improvement of pipelines by the two concessionaires, the clear effect"
of which was seen when tropical storm Ondoy inundated large portions of Metro Manila in 2009.

He says that at that time, the DOH was expecting a rise in the number of cholera and typhoid cases
due to water contamination through rusty pipelines. Macasaet recalls that both Maynilad and Manila
Water were upgrading their pipes from metal to polymer at around the same period.

The DOH assumed that the two companies did not finish their pipe upgrades and therefore
stockpiled on water purification tablets and other drugs in anticipation of a waterborne-disease
outbreak, according to Macasaet.

[Thankfully], tamang tama lang, natapos (They finished just in the nick of time)," he says. Mangilan-
ngilan lang yung cases ng cholera and typhoid (We only had a few cases of cholera and typhoid)."

Pinky Tobiano, a chemist and founder of the independent water laboratory Qualibet Testing Services
Corp., also confirms the claims of the two concessionaires. Tap water in Metro Manila, as long as it
is supplied by the two water providers, and as long as the pipes in the homes are intact, there's no
problem drinking it," she says.

Late water quality reports

But is the public aware that tap water is safe, as certified by the multi-sectoral water committee and
other experts?

(See the latest water quality pronouncement in the PDF below)



Engr. Jose Carmelo Gendrano, deputy executive director of the Philippine Center for Water and
Sanitation, believes that tap water is generally safe. However, he says the monitoring committee has
difficulty relaying information on water quality to the public.

Gendrano points out that the water quality pronouncements, which are released weeks after the
covered period, should come out much earlier. The report covering July, for example, still holds until
the middle of September when the August pronouncement is expected to come out.

Gendrano says bacteriological, physical, and chemical examinations on water should take only
around four days per sampling point. He says water quality reports should be posted online
immediately after the testing.

The more real-time yung data na yon, the more confidence meron yung mga tao. Kaysa yung two
months ago," he says.

Gendrano says delayed data makes it way too late" for people to take action on water quality.

O halimbawa, start of the rainy season, June ngayon. Ang available na data sa akin is April, dry
season pa yon. Eh alam natin, pag rainy season, mas malaki ang chance ng mga outbreaks ng
water-borne disease. So kung April pa yon, parang maganda pa yung water quality. Mami-mislead
ako," Gendrano explains.

The two water companies could also be victims of slanted information" presented in commercials to
persuade consumers to buy bottled water instead, according to Gendrano. Commercials try to
convince you by presenting information which is sometimes not balanced," he says.

Mixed feedback

Despite advertisements suggesting tap water is unsafe to drink, a growing number of residents are
now starting to have faith in Metro Manilas water supplies.

In Tondo, for example, several residents have noticed improvements in water quality, prompting
them to drop bottled water in favor of tap.

Pedicab driver Renato Mata explains, Mula noong nagpalit na ng tubo ang Maynilad, ayos na ang
takbo. Maski hindi mo na pakuluan ang tubig, inumin mo na nang diretso, wala nang problema," he
says.

Eric Lacson, another Tondo resident, has abandoned drinking bottled water altogether. Talagang
malinis ngayon, naiinom," he says.

Gendrano himself drinks from the tap and doesnt boil his water. Kasi matagal na akong umiinom,
hindi naman ako nagkakasakit," he says.

Yet, even the water quality experts still hold reservations about drinking directly from the tap.
Macasaet of DOH, who says water from the two concessionaires is 90 to 100 percent safe to drink,
uses a filter for tap water at home. Just to cover for the other 10 percent," he explains.

Meanwhile, Tobiano of Qualibet says she doesnt mind drinking from the tap as long as it comes
from a safe source," such as her own household. But I don't think I will drink tap water in a public
area, because I'm not sure where the source comes from," she says. - GMA News

(Next: Why Malacaang doesnt serve tap water)

This article was produced under the Maggie de Pano Fund for Investigative Reporting on Health.
The Fund, which is managed by Newsbreak, is funded through a grant from Macare Medicals Inc.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/232395/news/specialreports/tap-water-in-metro-a-
lot-cleaner-now-say-experts
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/232187/news/specialreports/dirty-tap-water-forces-
poor-to-pay-more

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