Water Security – TUBIG Program A.

Water Security – TUBIG Program (Tubig ay

(Tubig ay Buhayin at Ingatan) Buhayin at Ingatan)

B. Food and Nutrition Security – SAPAT
Program (Saganang Pagkain Para sa Lahat) C.
● Background of the Program
Health Sufficiency – LIKAS Program (Likas
Yaman sa Kalusugan)
The National Research Council of the
D. Clean Energy – ALERT Program (Alternative
Philippines (NRCP), a collegial body of over four
Energy Research Trends)
thousand researchers, scientists, and experts, is
E. Sustainable Community – SAKLAW Program
mandated to promote and support fundamental
(Saklolo sa Lawa)
and basic research in the country as provided in
F. Inclusive Nation-building – ATIN program (Ang
the 9th Philippine Legislature Act No. 4120
Tinig Natin)
passed on 8 December 1933. It is likewise
mandated to provide advice on problems and
● Goal of the Program
issues of national interest.
Prepare the Philippines to transition to an
Along this line, the NRCP supports
ecological, efficient, and equitable water-secure
research that is directed primarily towards
future (2024 DOST-GIA Call for Proposals
developing a new and fuller scientific
Priority Areas).
knowledge or understanding of any subject
which may or may not have practical
applications. Basic research results from
● Objectives of the Program
intellectual curiosity aimed at proving the
TUBIG program aims to foster basic
unknown, or it may seek new knowledge
experimental, theoretical, computational
required for practical application in the future
modeling, and data-intensive research with the
(Ref: Science Act of 1958 as amended by RA
potential to enhance knowledge on achieving
3589).
water security (2024 DOST-GIA Call for
For 2017-2022, the NRCP’s
Proposals Priority Areas).
National Integrated Basic Research
Agenda (NIBRA) will prioritize fundamental
research in support of the Philippine
● Water Security
Development Plan, the National Security
"The capacity of a population to
Plan, and the Science for Change Program
safeguard sustainable access to adequate
led by the Department of Science and
quantities of acceptable quality water for
Technology. It has six issue-based NIBRA
sustaining livelihoods, human well-being, and
programs, namely:
socio-economic development, for ensuring
 protection against water-borne pollution and development and management of water, land,
water-related disasters, and for preserving and related resources, to maximize the resultant
ecosystems in a climate of peace and political economic and social welfare equitably without
stability (UN-Water, 2013)." compromising the sustainability of vital
ecosystems.
It involves ensuring water is available
for drinking, sanitation, agriculture, industry,
a. Watershed/groundwater and river basin
and ecosystems, even in times of stress or
modeling
crisis. In simpler terms, water security means
b. Socio-hydrological modeling studies
having enough clean water for everyone, all
c. Valuation of ecosystem service of watershed
the time.

2. Water Quality and Supply-Demand

Management
● Importance of water security This focus on water users aims to
According to the GlobalWaters promote least-cost, environmentally sound water
Organization (n.d.), water fuels every aspect planning and takes both demand and supply
of life. It’s essential for basic health and options into account.
hygiene, and it drives society’s most
essential industries: agriculture, energy, and a. Smart water monitoring system
transportation b. Water efficiency assessment of business
enterprises
Without water security there can be no
national security. In fact, water is essential to the 3. Sanitation and Wastewater Management
stability of every country on the planet. Sanitation and wastewater management
Understanding water security means looking refer to the processes of safely handling and
beyond immediate supply to political, economic, disposing of human waste and wastewater.
social and environmental impacts
(GlobalWaters, n.d.). a. Resource recovery system
b. Baseline monitoring of emerging
contaminants
● Priorities of the Program
4. Resilience from water-related disasters
1. Integrated Water Resource Management Resilience from water-related disasters involves
According to UN WATER, IWRM is a the ability of communities and infrastructure to
process that promotes the coordinated
withstand and recover from events such as Laguna, and some towns in Batangas, Cavite,
floods, droughts, and water scarcity. Quezon, and cities in Metro Manila.

a. Early warning/surveillance system -Watershed studies

b. Water infrastructure safety and resilience
assessment. a. Biological, chemical, and physical
characterization
5. Water governance and policy
Water governance and policy refer to the rules, Biological characterization- Assessing
regulations, and institutions that govern the the presence and abundance of aquatic
management and allocation of water resources. organisms, such as fish, invertebrates, and
algae. This helps to understand the ecological
a. Community-based water management, health of the watershed and identify potential
b. E-governance and Citizen science pollution sources.
c. Water security index Chemical characterization- Analyzing
the water quality for various parameters,
● Watershed studies including pH, dissolved oxygen, nutrients, heavy
metals, and organic pollutants. This helps to
-What are Watersheds? assess the suitability of the water for different
According to the National Ocean Service, uses, such as drinking, agriculture, and industry.
it’s a land area that channels rainfall and Physical characterization- Examining
snowmelt to creeks, streams, and rivers, and the physical properties of the watershed, such
eventually to outflow points such as reservoirs, as topography, land use, and soil characteristics.
bays, and the ocean. This information is essential for understanding
the hydrological processes and water flow
-Example of watershed in the Philippines patterns within the watershed.
1. Laguna de Bay Watershed
According to the Laguna Lake b. Water supply stress index
Development Authority, Laguna de Bay, with a
total surface area of 900 square kilometers, is The Water Supply Stress Index (WSSI) is
the biggest lake and one of the most important a quantitative tool used to assess the level of
inland bodies of water in the Philippines. The water stress in a specific region or watershed. It
lake’s watershed area of 3,820 square kilometers provides a standardized measure of the balance
straddles the whole provinces of Rizal and between water availability and demand,
considering factors such as population growth,
economic development, climate change, and efficient water use, wastewater treatment,
water quality. and infrastructure development.

Importance:

Early Warning- The WSSI can serve as Water quality, accessibility, and availability
an early warning system, identifying areas at risk
of water scarcity or shortages before they a. Pollutants/contaminants (surface and

become critical. (World Resources Institute, ground waters)- Water quality can be
2023) compromised by various pollutants and
contaminants, including industrial effluents,
Sustainable Development- It is a agricultural runoff, domestic wastewater, and
valuable tool for promoting sustainable natural contaminants. These pollutants can pose
development by ensuring that water resources risks to human health and ecosystems.
are managed to meet the needs of present and
future generations. (World Resources Institute, b. Analysis of historical flows, sediment, and
2023) toxicity loads of lakes and rivers- Studying
historical data on water flows, sediment loads,
and toxicity levels provides valuable insights into
c. Population growth impacts on water long-term trends and patterns. This information
resource availability can help identify potential risks, assess the
effectiveness of water management measures,
Population growth significantly impacts and develop early warning systems.
water resource availability. As the number of
people in a region increases, so does the c. Weather modification for increasing water

demand for water for domestic use, agriculture, supplies in special localized areas- While

and industry. This increased demand can strain weather modification techniques like cloud

existing water supplies, leading to water scarcity seeding have been explored to increase

and competition among different users. precipitation, their effectiveness and potential
environmental impacts are still being debated.

Factors such as urbanization, These techniques should be carefully evaluated

economic development, and climate change and implemented with caution.

can further exacerbate the effects of

Cloud seeding is a weather modification
population growth on water resources. To
technique that improves a cloud's ability to
address these challenges, it's essential to
produce rain or snow by introducing tiny ice
implement sustainable water management
nuclei into certain types of subfreezing
practices, including water conservation,
clouds.
● ASEAN Countries with water stability and WATER SCARCITY
water scarcity
-Cambodia
WATER STABILITY The Cambodia water crisis stems largely from
contaminated water supply from multiple
-Singapore sources. The lack of clean water is particularly
Known for its innovative water management prominent in rural areas with non-existent
practices, including water recycling and infrastructure. The majority of villages in the
desalination, Singapore has achieved water country collect their drinking water from rainfall.
security despite its limited natural water After a long period of time, the stored water
resources. tends to attract parasites, insects, and other
https://theconversation.com/how-singapores-wat contaminants.
er-management-has-become-a-global-model-for https://healingwaters.org/the-cambodia-water-cri
-how-to-tackle-climate-crisis-162117 sis-how-you-can-help/
-Myanmar
Over 60 percent of households have no safely
-Brunei managed drinking water service. During the peak
Brunei Darussalam has excellent facilities for of the dry season, many sources of safe water
the treatment of drinking water at six
dry up, forcing families in many areas to resort
government treatment plants situated throughout
to open and shallow water sources, which are
the country. There are also bottled water
often contaminated. This increases the risks of
factories using advanced technology to produce
waterborne diseases such as cholera and acute
purified water. Monitoring of treated water at
treatment plants, storage points, and end-points watery diarrhea, further compromising the

is carried out daily by the Departments of Water health and safety of children and
Services and of Public Works, and by the families.https://www.unicef.org/myanmar/water
Ministry of Development. -sanitation-and-hygiene-wash#:~:text=Over%206
https://wateractionhub.org/geos/country/33/d/bru 0%20per%20cent%20of,no%20basic%20drinking
nei-darussalam/
%20water%20supply.
-Indonesia
Water quality is poor regardless of
socio-economic conditions. A 2017 survey of
drinking water in Yogyakarta, a well-off urban
center in Java, found that 89 percent of water
sources and 67 percent of household drinking -Laos
water were contaminated by fecal bacteria. Access to safe water in Laos is a challenge for
https://www.unicef.org/indonesia/water-sanitatio the majority of the country's population of 7.4
n-and-hygiene#:~:text=Water%20quality%20is% million people. According to UN and UNICEF
20poor%20regardless,were%20contaminated% data, 82% of households in Laos lack access to
20by%20fecal%20bacteria a safely managed water supply and 39% lack
safe sanitation.
-Philippines https://planet-water.org/where-we-operate/laos/#
According to UN and UNICEF data, 53% of :~:text=Water%20and%20Sanitation%20Issues
households in the Philippines lack access to a %20in,and%2039%25%20lack%20safe%20sani
safely managed water supply, and 39% lack safe tation.
sanitation. The situation in schools is even more
serious, with 55% of schools lacking access to a -Thailand
safely managed water supply and 26% lacking Data from the Ministry of Public Health’s Report
safe sanitation. on Drinking Water Quality from 2009-2019
https://planet-water.org/where-we-operate/philip showed that only 40.8% of water available to
pines/ households was appropriate for consumption.
-Malaysia On the other hand, 43.7% of water in
Access to water in Malaysia goes beyond mere households needed further treatment before
resource management and is an issue of social consumption, while a further 15.5% comprised
justice and equity. Rural communities, especially water that had been contaminated by chemicals
indigenous groups, often struggle to access above the recommended limit.
clean water and sanitation facilities. The low https://dicf.unepgrid.ch/thailand/water#:~:text=D
water tariff does not encourage water espite%20water%20shortage%20problems%20
conservation and per capita consumption is %5B2,2016%20and%2099.5%25%20in%20201
high. Water quality is deteriorating due to 9.
pollution from sewage, industrial waste and
agricultural runoff; the problem is also -Vietnam
exacerbated by deforestation. According to government figures, each year in
https://news.utm.my/2024/03/malaysias-perspec Vietnam 9,000 people die and 250,000 more are
tive-on-water-resource-sharing-leveraging-water hospitalized due to poor sanitation and water
-for-peace/ quality, while around 200,000 have cancer linked
to water pollution. Urban wastewater is the
largest contributor to water pollution, and in rural
areas rising fertilizer and pesticide use affect
water quality. Vulnerable groups like pregnant
women, children, and the elderly are particularly
vulnerable to waterborne diseases like cholera.
https://www.worldbank.org/en/results/2023/12/20
/private-capital-brings-clean-drinking-water-to-sc
hools-and-communities-in-vietnam#:~:text=with
%20remarkable%20results.-,Access%20to%20cl
ean%20water%20in%20rural%20areas%20impr
oved%20from%2017,cancer%20linked%20to%2
0water%20pollution.

-Timor-Leste
In Timor-Leste, 80 percent of the rural
population has access to at least basic water,
while in urban settings it reaches 96 percent.
However, basic-level water only assures that the
water is from an improved source with a
maximum of 30 minutes’ collection time. The
country is unable to report on its safe water
coverage due to a lack of data and assurance
on water availability and quality.
https://www.unicef.org/timorleste/media/5851/file
/UNICEF_TIMOR_LESTE_INVESTMENT_CAS
E_WASH_Final.pdf
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