About 15.7 million Filipinos are still lacking access to potable drinking water and this number is growing tremendously due to increased demand for water, fueled by population growth and industry.

Apart from both ground and surface water sources being threatened with degradation and contamination from industrial output, as well as lack of treatment for wastewater, water security is being affected by the changes in climate. Higher temperatures and changes in rainfall patterns can affect the freshwater cycle and consequently, the raw water supply sourced from rivers, lakes, and streams.

A recent forecast by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) revealed that the El Niño phenomenon in the country will get stronger and bring more intense drought and dry spells to 29 provinces in February, 34 in March and 68 in April. With this looming situation, the need to come up with effective and sustainable solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change and these other factors have never been more urgent.

Making good use of every drop of water through Non-Revenue Water (NRW) reduction is one solution that the private sector is advocating to increase water supply, particularly in high-risk areas.

NRW is water that has been produced and treated for consumption and is “lost” before it reaches customers due to leaks, wastage, pilferage through illegal connections, overflows, defective meters, unbilled services, and other means. Environmental stalwarts believe that one effective way to increase water supply and yield future supplies amid a changing climate is to reduce wastage of water that are dispersed by a water utility through its distribution system.

Hence, the private sector, through The Coca-Cola Foundation, in partnership with Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), and the US Embassy Manila’s United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through its Water Security for Resilient Economic Growth (Be Secure) Project, has embarked on a program that will help build the capacities of water utilities to improve their services and increase its water supply to benefit more people.

The Cagayan de Oro Water District (COWD) is the recipient of the Non-Revenue Water Reduction Program. Officials from COWD, Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, USAID, PBSP and the Department in Public Works and Highways led the launching ceremonies last Jan. 13, 2016 at the N Hotel in Cagayan de Oro City.

COWD currently has service coverage of 85 percent in Cagayan de Oro City. But due to the increasing demand for water, its water service is limited to only a few hours a day for most subscribers. COWD also has a very high level of NRW which is over 49.5 percent or about 80,000 cubic meters of water lost every day.

Under the tripartite partnership, the USAID Be Secure Project, and The Coca-Cola Foundation through PBSP, will provide technical expertise in NRW reduction and COWD will implement the program using P458-million loan (about $10.2 million) from DBP.

The NRW Program will reduce waste water and provide efficient and sustainable supply of water to communities that the COWD serves.

“This will ultimately prepare the city better for the future impacts of climate change, and bolster resiliency and sustainability of the system,” said Dani Newcomb, Division Director of USAID Office of Environment, Energy and Climate Change.

Part of the technical assistance are the development of a Geographical Information System (GIS) database and hydraulic model of the network within the COWD service area; delineation and assistance with the initial implementation of district metering areas (DMAs); development of standard operating procedures for NRW management; and training of COWD personnel in the management, maintenance, and analysis of information in the GIS database, hydraulic model, and on managing NRW.

The GIS is a mapping tool that provides opportunities for spatial analysis and data management. The GIS will help COWD gather correct information on the water system network facilities and the customers, leading to easier calibration of the hydraulic model.

The loan from DBP, on the other hand, will enable COWD to invest on the infrastructure component of the program. These include the replacement of the asbestos cement pipes, burying of exposed pipes on roads and repair or replacement of old pipes.

With the project, COWD will be able to reduce its NRW from 53 to 30 percent and save around 34,500,000 liters of water a day (or at least 12.42 billion liters of water annually).

Furthermore, it will help increase its water supply service to 24 hours a day, reach 400,000 people, and expand services to the rest of its concession area. Improvements in the distribution system will also lead to reduced risk of contamination.

General Manager Rachel Beja said, “With our desire to deliver best water services to the people, bringing down the level of the NRW has become a major thrust of the COWD. This is one sure way to ensure water security for the people of Cagayan de Oro.”

This pioneering initiative of Coca-Cola is aimed at addressing water scarcity in the country and contributing to the larger goal of the US and the Philippine Government in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6, to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

The project supports the water replenishment goal of the global Coca-Cola system, to safely return to communities and nature an amount of water equivalent to what is used in its beverages and their production by 2020.

“There is no resource more precious to human life and the health of our global ecosystems and economies than water. As a consumer of water, the Coca-Cola system has a special responsibility to protect this shared resource. This is why we set an aspirational goal of being water neutral by 2020,” said Muhtar Kent, Chairman and CEO, The Coca-Cola Company. “While we have made significant progress toward making that goal a reality, we are more intent than ever to give back the equivalent of all the water that we use to communities and nature. And we will continue to do so after we meet the 100 percent goal.”

According to Rafael Lopa, PBSP Executive Director, “The problem of water security is not a short-term problem and requires that these are addressed in a more systemic way. Private sector involvement in multi-sector partnerships allows companies such as Coca-Cola to contribute resources, technologies and expertise, and participate in continuous conversation and engagements.”

Coca-Cola is also a member of the Water Alliance, a partnership among businesses with a primary goal to collectively address issues and create solutions to impending water problems in the Philippines, including mitigating the effects of climate change on water resources.

Source: Manila Bulletin 02/03/16