USAID holds forum on water security, climate change

From the Philippine News Agency (Oct 30): USAID holds forum on water security, climate change
 

The United States Agency International Development (USAID) is helping Iloilo improve its water security and become resilient to the impacts of climate change.

Stakeholders gathered Thursday for the “Coping with El Niño and Climate Change: A Water Demand Management Forum” held at Richmonde Hotel in Iloilo City.

The forum was part of the USAID Water Security for Resilient Economic Growth and Stability (Be Secure) Project, a four-year project being implemented in six areas: Iloilo, Basilan, Leyte, Maguindanao, Misamis Oriental and Zamboanga City.

Ramon Alikpala, senior technical adviser for water, USAID Be Secure Project, explained that climate change and water security are serious global problems.

USAID is helping Iloilo provide strategic and long-term solutions to address these issues affecting some critical areas in the country.

“We are also helping the national government improve its policy and develop new laws to improve water management, and push for better regulation of water use,” he said.

USAID provides technical assistance, including the Climate Projection component of the project being undertaken by the state weather bureau PAGASA.

Alikpala explained baseline data is important to address the problem. “It is very easy to say ‘let’s conserve water’ but then, how?” he said.

Water conservation involves changes in behavior. Thus, the USAID also helps PAGASA make the Climate Projection data understandable to the public.

The local government units can use the PAGASA data to improve their projections and plan their preparations for the adverse impact of changes in climate, in the case of Philippines, the El Niño or prolonged drought, he said.

To help water districts in addressing the water security issue, the USAID also provides technical assistance to them.

In the case of Metro Iloilo Water District, the USAID Be Secure Project will hire international consultants to help the utility firm with their strategic planning, he said.

"There are private firms willing to help water districts improve their services, we will get international consultants for them to review the proposals of these investors," he said.

“In the case of Iloilo, we don’t give money directly for infrastructures; we are more about empowering people help themselves; it’s a lot of capacity building.

"We would spend for climate studies for climate projections, which the province can use to improve their projections, Alikpala said.

"In the case of water district, we will get international consultants to help with their strategic planning or review proposals of private investors which offer to help them improve their services,” he said.

According to Pagasa, rainfall level in Iloilo and Guimaras in Oct. is “way below normal” or greater than 60 percent reduction from the normal rainfall.

 http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=821407