332 Towns Have No Reliable Water Supply and Less Than Half of Filipino Homes Have Piped Water — A New Study Shows How Bad It Really Is

The Philippines has 226 billion cubic meters of water available every year — and yet 332 municipalities are classified as "waterless," meaning more than half their residents don't have reliable water supply. A new study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) reveals just how broken the country's water distribution system really is.

Here's the paradox: while 87.7 percent of Filipinos are reported to have access to "safe water," fewer than half of all households actually have piped water connections at home. Across the country's 532 water districts, annual demand consistently exceeds effective supply — creating persistent service gaps even in areas where water resources technically exist.

The problem isn't that the Philippines lacks water — it's that the infrastructure to deliver it is woefully inadequate. About 83 to 85 percent of all available water goes to agriculture, leaving a smaller share for households, businesses, and industries. And as the population ballooned from 77 million in 2000 to over 103 million in 2016, per capita water availability dropped from 1,907 cubic meters per year to just 1,400.

Water quality is deteriorating too. Of the country's 623 classified water bodies, only a limited number meet the highest potable standard. About 36 percent are Class C (suitable mainly for fisheries), while 33 percent are Class D — requiring substantial treatment before anyone can safely drink from them. Meanwhile, groundwater extraction has been rising by 3.8 percent annually, with a sharp 17.7 percent jump from 2019 to 2020 driven by mining and construction.

The PIDS study makes it clear: the Philippines is heading toward a water crisis not because of scarcity but because of mismanagement. Billions of cubic meters flow through rivers and aquifers each year, but the pipes, pumps, and systems needed to get that water into homes simply aren't there. For the millions of Filipinos still fetching water from communal sources, the future isn't looking any wetter. Nakakalungkot pero totoo.

Source: The Manila Times