Disaster
preparedness for water utilities
by Engr. Antonio B. Magtibay,
MNSA
Water
supply systems are vulnerable to sudden unpredictable disasters from
natural and man-made disasters. Several earthquakes have adversely affected,
water sources and have caused damage to pipelines. Gen. Santos City
WD experienced increased pipe breakages along their transmission lines
whenever a spate of earthquakes will occur in the area. The Mt. Pinatubo
eruptions in 1991 partially or completely disabled the water systems
of some municipalities in Pampanga, Zambales and Tarlac. Mt. Mayon’s
eruptions have constantly affected the sources and operations of the
water districts in the immediate vicinity. Incidents of cholera and
typhoid fever are becoming more frequent and one of the causes of the
outbreaks has been attributed rightly or otherwise to the local water
districts.
Credit
Rating System to Enhance Credit Flow for Water Supply Projects in the
Philippines
By
LWUA Administrator Lorenzo H. Jamora
Traditionally, Water Districts in the Philippines
have acquired concession loans from the Local Water Utilities Administration
for their development. However, with the tight capital expenditure of
the National Government, there is a need to rationalize the allocation
of scarce and concessional funds in the water supply sector and a need
to enhance the flow of credit into the sector from nontraditional fund
sources.
Development
and Regulation of Water Utilities: The Philippine Experience
By LWUA Administrator
Lorenzo H. Jamora
LWUA Administrator Lorenzo H. Jamora writes about
the Philippine experience in the development and regulation of water
utilities in a paper presented at the 13th IWA-ASPAC Regional Conference
and Exhibition in Cebu City, Philippines.
LWUA
does its share in nation building
By LWUA Administrator
Lorenzo H. Jamora
Notwithstanding the fiscal crisis
that hounded the country during the last few years, at LWUA, we were
able to post a positive financial picture. The government’s provincial
water supply development agenda got much needed boost in 2004 with the
Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) registering record highs
of P2.4 billion in water project disbursements and Pl.3 billion in loan
collection from beneficiary water districts.
Philippine
National Standards for Drinking Water (2007)
Includes standards for bacteriological,
biological and chemical quality.
National
Water Crisis Act (Republic Act 8041)
Enacted
in 1995 to address the national water crisis.
LWUA-developed
software for water districts
As water districts grow, their operational
needs become more complicated and the volume of transactions increases
significantly.To
address these operational problems, LWUA has conceptualized and initiated
the development of a computerized Billing and Collection System (WDBCS)
and the Financial Management Information System (WDFMIS) package. A
software package for this purpose has also been developed.
LWUA
Water Rates Manual
In presenting the
argument that water is free, people forget that it must be collected,
treated, stored, and delivered; and always available for whatever needs
the customer may have. These steps cost money, and so a responsible
price for water must be set. Establishing realistic and fair rates is
a key element in the operation of any water system.Water
is a value-added commodity. Its value raises issues of scarcity, competition,
and the need for integrated water resource management. The cost of supplying
water is increasing, especially the expense of complying with safe drinking
water regulations. Cost issues also raise questions related to economies
of scale and the structural character of the water supply industry.
Primer
on LWUA and the Water Districts
Will answer some of the most asked questions
about LWUA and the water districts.
Primer
on Rural Waterworks and Sanitation Association (RWSA)
Contains basic information on Rural Waterworks
and Sanitation Associations.
District
Metering: A Means of Addressing NRW
by Steve Ditcham, Regional Manager - Asia Sensus
Metering Systems
The use of bulk water meters at various points on a water distribution
network can help in identifying problem areas, i.e. those zones where
leakage or other problems are greatest. This then allows those areas with
the greatest apparent loss to be given highest priority. The use of meters
with higher accuracy, when installed at customer billing points, will
normally result in an increase in apparent flow totals, due to their ability
to measure lower flow rates. The use of Remote meter reading systems can
facilitate data collection from sites, where access is difficult, such
as locked buildings and where meters are installed in pits, which are
subject to flooding. Automatic meter reading, while primarily installed
for billing purposes, allows an online check of meter condition and can
rapidly identify meter failure, vandalism and attempts at fraud.
A
Reexamination of the LWUA-Water District Concept
By Carlos C. Leano,
Jr., LWUA's first general manager
LWUA's first general manager Carlos C. Leaño,
Jr., regarded as the father of the water district concept in the Philippines,
evaluates this approach that changed countryside water supply development,
in a paper entitled "A Reexamination of the LWUA-WD Concept."
Review
of Comparative Approaches to Water Supply Development
By former LWUA Administrator
Antonio R. De Vera
Antonio 'Tony" R. De Vera has varied
and extensive experience in the field of water supply regulation, administration,
institutional development, financing and engineering for the past 29
years. He was administrator of the Local Water Utilities Administration
since 1992 to 1998 and its Board of Trustees' vice-chairman from 1998
to 2001.
Corporate
Governance in Asia-Pacific (Applicability among Philippine Water Districts)
By Atty. Antonio
P. Acyatan
Water districts must generate maximum
revenues which will be utilized to optimize public services from water
(district) utility operations - even as efficient service to concessionaires
is maintained. GOOD CORPORATE GOVERNANCE for Water Districts comes about
through an efficiently and effectively working, strategic Board, and
appropriate, productive Management System of Local Utilities. Absence
of such governance can be a "deterrent to economic growth, hazard
to public health, and irritant to the spirit and well-being of the citizenry."
Keynote
address, LWUA-WD Forum 2004
By LWUA Chairman
Francisco D. Dumpit
The concessionaires are the reasons for the existence
of WDs. The WDs are the reasons for the existence of LWUA. For three
(3) decades, the LWUA-WD partnership has withstood the test of time
as an irreplaceable concept in the water supply development. Today,
our LWUA-WD concept is strong. With your dedication, patience and understanding,
it will be stronger. The LWUA-WD concept is the most important step
in addressing the challenge of providing our people access to safe and
sufficient drinking water. But let us also be responsive to the needs
of time.
Keynote
address, Southern Tagalog Association of Water Districts (STAWD), 22
June 2005
By LWUA
Chairman Francisco D. Dumpit
Chairman Dumpit talks about Executive Order
No. 279 which institues reforms in the financing policies for the water
supply and sewerage sector and provides for the rationalization of LWUA's
organizational structure and operations.
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