Abstract:

Water is one of the most important public goods tha t a state owns and must provide to its citizenry. Access to safe water is a fundamental human need and a basic human right (World Health Organization, 2000). Next to air, water is one resource that man cannot live without. Aside from drinking, water is needed for irrigation, power, industrial and domestic uses (Elazegui, 2001). Provision of potable water to the public is a principal basic social service and the government must ensure afford ability of its delivery to every Filipino (Kasamatsu, 2007). However, its distribution right at the homes of the citizenry is not as costs are involved in ensuring its potability, equitable distribution, use and sustainability.
Decision-makers, water managers and users need to i ncrease their capacity to manage limited water resources taking into account increased user demands and environmental needs. Only when water resources are managed in ways responsive to social, and economic needs and to the long term sus tainability of the water resource will the goal of water security be achieved (Hall, 2002) .
In the Philippines, the mandate to provide clean po table water to the households and other users in the provinces and other cities i s lodged with Water Districts except for the Metro Manila area where the distribution of water was given to private companies by an act of Congress as franchisees but is still under government regulation.

Info

Source Institution	National Statistical Coordination Board
Source URL	http://www.nscb.gov.ph/ru11/MSC/pdf%20of%20papers/colasito.pdf
Page Count	12
Place of Publication	Davao City
Original Publication Date
Tags	Southern Mindanao, Water, mindanao, model, service