Quezon City---The Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) reminded the water districts throughout the country of their basic responsibility to constantly assure the high quality of water they supply to their concessionaires especially in this rainy season where the possibility of contamination by dirty floodwater and other surface run-off of poorly protected water sources or damaged pipelines is high.

LWUA issued this advisory as it joins the Department of Health (DOH) and other government agencies in the water sector in the launching of the 2007 Philippine National Drinking Water Standards (PNSDW) this Friday, August 31, 2007, at the Traders Hotel in Manila during which LWUA Administrator Orlando Hondrade will deliver a message on "Quality Drinking Water-A Challenge to All Water Supply Providers".

As part of its regulatory function, LWUA enforces adopted national safety and sanitation standards as regards water being produced and supplied by the water districts and monitors their compliance to said standards. LWUA requires the water districts to treat through chlorination and other accepted treatment processes and procedures their water supply from source and to maintain certain safe level of disinfection throughout the distribution system down to the individual household service connections. Furthermore, LWUA requires the water districts to regularly and periodically subject their water supplies to physical, bacteriological and chemical tests taking samples from both the sources and the service lines, and to submit the same to the agency for monitoring, evaluation and necessary appropriate actions as the case may be.

Traditionally, possibility of contamination of water sources as well as supplies and the outbreak of water-borne diseases in some parts of the country is higher during the rainy, particularly typhoon season where floods and other surface run-off could enter poorly protected or naturally-vulnerable surface or even groundwater sources as dams and springs or seep into worn-out or damaged pipes or service lines.

LWUA likewise asked the cooperation of the public in reporting pipe leaks and any case of water pilferages that not only result in system losses but also in damage to pipes or service lines making possible entry of dirty water into the system. The agency also advised the public to boil their drinking water in extreme cases of piped water contamination or if they got their water from doubtful sources.
c August 29 , 2007