Water in the Philippines

         We just got a notice last week in Baguio that drinking water could cause diarrhea.  We have been drinking out of a large blue bottle which the apartment supplies for 50 pesos a bottle.  When we went to Lechonera  (pork city) on Sunday they informed us no water would be presented with the meal, but we could buy bottles.

Here in the rural areas, jug water is common.  This is a very poor area, but even when drinking alak with friends, there is a pitcher of filtered water on the table.  20 piso for 5 gal.  25 piso delivered.  We had nine of them delivered today.

We use well water for bathing, laundry, washing dishes, etc., with no issues.

A few weeks ago, several nearby wells went dry.  All the local farms were running diesel pumps 7 x 24 trying to get the rice fields ready for planting.  This has happened before, but is rare.  Probably an El Nino symptom.

Stef

@NN3M/DU3 declared: A few weeks ago, several nearby wells went dry.  All the local farms were running diesel pumps 7 x 24 trying to get the rice fields ready for planting.  This has happened before, but is rare.  Probably an El Nino symptom.

Question: Did the wells likely go dry because the farmers were pumping 24/7 to irrigate the rice fields and depleting the water table in the process? Anyway, it looks like you have drinking water. I was here in the summer of 1992 when a very strong El Nino affected the PI. Much depended on your location. In Talingting Siquijor it was super dry but we could go the other large locations and load the jerricans. The palm trees lost the tops as they died; locals called them candlesticks. El Nino seems to bring excess rain in the Western hemisphere and drought in the East.

    @Col Rootentoot Addressing the water crisis is crucial, especially with the looming threat of El Niño. Allocating funds and enforcing measures are key steps to ensure access to safe drinking water and sanitation for all Filipinos.       

Fear porn. What "water crisis"? Please give cites showing proof that the Philippines is in a water crisis. Allocating funds? From where? To whom? Enforcing measures to ensure safe drinking water? What measures? You mean you think tap water here could ever be drinkable by enforcing laws? This comment appears to have been written by an AI bot. It is a completely useless word salad. I hope the commenter can tell us he/she is a real person. El Nino is a natural, cyclical event and not a threat now anymore than the last El Nino; we just have to deal with it. In the 90's Al Gore was telling everybody that would listen that Al Nino was a big threat. That was before he got involved in the climate industry scam. At that time, Rush Limbaugh changed his nickname to El Rushbo in recognition of Gore's fear campaign.

@danfinn Exactly, Dan.  These are pretty shallow, hand-pumped wells.  One by one the pumping was harder and harder, then stopped well by well.

After the fields were soaked, the water level returned.

--s--

@mugteck and how do you know that so called

“blue bottle”  was safe to drink? is it because they said so?  When you live in a barrio  or any rural area in the Philippines,  don’t trust anything as being safe and especially sanitary.

         The people who own the apartments drink the same water, so far, so good.  How do you know water in Cebu is safe?

When we had our well water tested 5 years ago we approached the/our local refill station who we should get.

Ben had a good long chat with the owner in Ilocano so I never grasped the conversation but basically they use a laboratory that by law tests their water from memory every 3 weeks as a requirement for their license, their RO plant is always immaculate and it's got me stumped how they can make money at 20 pesos a bottle and worse 25 pesos delivered,,, we are 3 Kms from their shop. Never a problem with their water.

Our well on the other hand while we would never drink it is used for every thing else including cleaning teeth, it is high in mineral content and borderline for E.coli/Coliforms by WHO standards but generally safe as it seems, we have never had a belly ache etc. in 5 years and not heard of any neighbours with problems from their wells.

@arty5987

We live in a small Barangay and all waler is drawn from wells including the refill stations, remember these refill stations are businesses and won't jeopardize their income so play by the rules.

We had a condo in Manila and the plumbed water was either over chlorinated one week and stunk the next, quality control? In Manila? Even there we had the big blue bottles.

As for wells drying up? So far not here but it happens worldwide and sure you can blame El Nino or like NN3M/DU3 showed with farming practices.

El Nino is cyclical like 7 to 10 years and we can't change that.

OMO.

Cheers, Steve.

Well, as the original poster, thanks everyone for honest and sensible thoughts.

So yes, along with every other country, there will be climate public-works required.

However, "Undersecretary Carlos David said at least P250 billion is needed to significantly expand coverage for potable water and sanitation facilities. The lack of sanitation facilities has been around since the first Marcos administration. It would be a notable accomplishment if the problem would be sufficiently addressed during the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos Jr."

So, with attention and sufficient funding, the climate-problems facing the Philippines appear surmountable. Potable water and sanitation are always a nation's on-going work-in-progress. And the Philippines folk have soo very many positive attributes and real achievements, that it appears certain that future climate challenges will be faced, and so satisfactorily overcome.

If nothing, the history of the Philippine people prove they're able to quickly adapt to changing circumstances in their own unique ways. And life always happily goes on, with a joie-de-vivre. This includes a cheerful enjoyment of life and family, with a celebration of our human spirit, and a worry-free general enthusiasm and general happiness. Not that many countries can say the same :-)

Imho anyway :-)

Cheers all expats!

`

@Col Rootentoot

Try trillions upon trillions of pesos to create potable water and decent sanitation for the 110 million souls that live here and the majority don't have piped tap water and sanitation? Treatment plants for effluent in 80 odd million households? Third world country like all the others and very slowly the wheels turn.

Happiness? I am happy with my well and septic system as are most here. Spend those pesos on those that really need it.

OMO.

Cheers Steve.

@bigpearl

Who or where did you take your water to be tested ?

I have been wanting to have mine tested and searched for a few places but still havent any idea to whom or where to go. Any advice will be helpful...

    @bigpearl
Who or where did you take your water to be tested ?
I have been wanting to have mine tested and searched for a few places but still havent any idea to whom or where to go. Any advice will be helpful...
   

    -@vehicross100

We are in La Union, not sure where you are but simply google water testing laboratories or like we did go ask your local water filling station.

The dude came and inspected the well and collected the samples, 2/3 litres from memory, was about 3 or 4K but we had full spectrum tests carried out.

Good luck.

Cheers, Steve.

danfinn said. . . . In the 90's Al Gore was telling everybody that would listen that Al Nino was a big threat. That was before he got involved in the climate industry scam.

*************************

Not many people heard that because Al Gore hadn't invented the internet yet.

I'm surprised so little of y'all buying the drinking water from the local RO filling station. That's what we do here. 15p per 5 gal bottle. Even with a well, imho, one should have R.O. water if they plan on drinking the well water. It might test good one day, then give you the squirts a month from now. Or worse. We buy bottled water and the refilling station for the big blue bottles is nearby and they maintain the reverse osmosis filters regularly. But I still make my coffee from tap water. This is not safe by any means. But since I'm boiling it...ahh wtf.

On my list of things I've thought about doing here at home: Install R.O. water system.

Agree Larry, here the bottled water is regularly tested by an independent lab that also tested our well water here. At 20 pesos drop off or 25 pesos they pick up and deliver is a winner.

I have run big RO plants here as well as other countries and they are a lot of work to maintain. Here our well water is fine by WHO standards but is high in calcium etc. That means a water softener as well as the RO plant, expensive or we could go to a water softener, Brine tank, 3/4 stage filtration and UV sterilization to simply stop the calcium build up on all the fixtures, P120 to 150K depending on delivery rate but for us around the upper side to do the whole house, 5 bathrooms and 3 kitchens and the laundry, and then the maintenance.

Much easier to buy the refill water and let them do all the grafting and plain white vinegar is a quick clean for fixtures. Shower, dishes, clothes washing, teeth cleaning etc. all done from the well and 5 years on we are still alive and no belly aches.

Larry I do only use the bottled water for expressos or in the kettle and cooking water as well as drinking.

I suppose it depends on your well or municipal water supply.

Ceers, Steve.