MORE than 350 local government officials and stakeholders have gathered to address the waste and water challenges experienced in some localities across the country.

A Waste and Water (W2) Summit was organized by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on January 26 where participants came out with recommendations and eventually solutions to the problem.

The officials and stakeholders in waste management and water security have agreed and vowed to provide safe water and sanitation infrastructure, adopt and enforce policies and regulations.

The attendees also promised to actively work with local partners and the national government for an inclusive approach to safe water and sanitation for a cleaner, healthier and sustainable environment during the summit.

W2 Summit was organized in support to President Marcos’ call for a clean environment and sustainable management of the country’s resources.

Solutions that were brought up concerning to the water problems included strengthening of technical capacities in the local level through partnerships with national government agencies (NGAs) and international organizations, allocation of funds for water development with priority given to community needs, and a coordinated approach to water concerns across offices through the Program Convergence Budgeting.

Stakeholders were also told to be proactive in finding which areas have water and those without, and explore the latest in water technology.

For the waste sector, among the solutions raised were strengthening partnerships with NGAs, local government units (LGUs), academe, private institutions and the informal waste sector, creating incentives to encourage waste segregation in households, and ensuring that e-waste and disaster waste are part of the Solid Waste Management Plan.

“Ang collaboration dito ay napakahalaga. Pag-usapan natin ang problema. This is why this summit is very important… Huwag kayong mahiya sa amin. Sabihin ninyo sa amin kung ano ang problem sa lugar ninyo, at gagawa tayo ng plano ng sabay-sabay kasama ang DENR,” said DILG Secretary Benjamin Abalos, Jr.

For her part, Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga underscored the critical role of LGUs in the country’s push for sustainability and resilience, particularly in achieving the targets of the Philippine Development Plan and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“A study estimates that 65 of the 169 sub-targets of our 17 SDGs will not be achieved without the engagement of our local and regional governments,” said Loyzaga.

Loyzaga emphasized the need to develop and protect water sources, conduct water treatment effectively, distribute water efficiently and collect sufficient fees to sustain its management and operation.

“Water conservation is not implemented more so if water is cheap relative to other household expenses such as electricity and mobile connectivity,” Loyzaga stressed.