IN full support to the legacy program on water of President Arroyo, the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) has expanded potable water supply services in the countryside with the establishment of 177 new water districts and the completion of an additional 120 water supply improvement projects in as many provincial communities.

LWUA Board Chairman Prospero A. Pichay Jr. said the agency has committed an additional P10 billion in development funds to finance the 120 water supply projects completed in 2009 and the still to be completed and implemented projects for the current year. In this regard, he said LWUA has also adopted a novel financing scheme to support the projects of the small and poor water districts through employment of outright grants and proper mixing of grants and regular concessionary loans.

Pichay also repoted that LWUA also performed its lion share in the program of the government which is intended to provide safe potable water. to the so-called still waterless municipalities or those communities whose access to supply is below half of its existing population. In this aspect, the agency completed 51 water supply construction projects that are now benefiting the residents of as many communities.

Sixty-four more projects are still undergoing various phases as of the end of 2009 while another 46 projects are set for implementation and completion this year to provide better access to safe potable drinking water supply to all 16 target waterless communities under LWUA's jurisdiction.

With the establishment of the 177 new water districts, LWUA has raised the total number of water districts existing in the country to 800 covering a total of 921 cities and towns all over the country from as far north as Batanes to as far south as Tawi-Tawi.

Meanwhile, LWUA said that aside from the 120 water projects that have been finished by the agency in 2009, another 162 projects are still ongoing construction to benefit the residents of as many communities in the countryside.

Through the 120 completed projects and the various other improvement and expansion projects undertaken by some water districts utilizing their own funds, an additional five million Filipinos living in the provinces have been given access to safe potable piped water which has brought to 20 million the total number of people in the countryside now enjoying clean, safe and affordable water supply, Pichay reported. (People's Journal Tonight, February 14, 2010)

.February 14 , 2010