Improving Water Supply and Sanitation in 29 Agrarian Reform Communities
This paper is about improving the potable water supply, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) situation in 29 agrarian reform communities (ARCs) through partnerships on low-cost, culturally acceptable and appropriate WASH technologies that can be managed and sustained as an enterprise by the community. Partnership responsibilities between and amongst the Philippine Center for Water and Sanitation (PCWS), the Department of Agrarian Reform’s Bureau of Agrarian Reform Beneficiary Development (DAR BARBD), local governments and ARCs are highlighted. Collaborative activities are described, including participatory water and sanitation resources inventory and assessment; identification of low-cost water supply and sanitation technology options as demonstration projects for the community; development and consultation on the engineering designs for the water supply and sanitation technology options selected by the community; training cum construction of the selected low-cost water supply and a sanitation technologies; other capacity building activities such as integrated water resources management (IWRM); hygiene promotion; operation, repair and maintenance of WASH facilities for sustainability; development of WASH-related enterprises. Results show that most (about 96%) of the WASH systems are operational; water quality in the communities has improved; people are using and sustaining the WASH systems; continuing construction of additional WASH systems are being reported in almost all communities even after the PCWS-supervised pilot constructions. Recommendations include extensively promoting environmental sanitation for lasting effects on the health and well-being of ARCs; increasing advocacy efforts for stronger support to ARCs from national government agencies, LGUs, civil society organizations, academe, media and donors; creating markets for ARCs already capacitated with low-cost WASH technologies; and, up-scaling some facilities such as biogas digesters feeding power-plants to generate local electricity. Preparations are underway to replicate the efforts in 75 other ARCs in various parts of the Philippines.
Seminar 14 Slides
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Sol Peralta served as Acting Director of DAR BARBD when Susan went on leave. Sol's e-mail address is [email protected]. The DAR BARBD website is www.dar.gov.ph.