THE Philippines could face an intensified water crisis by 2030 if the government and private sector fail to act decisively on worsening supply constraints, climate impacts, and infrastructure backlogs, industry leaders warned during the 31st Philippine Water Works Association (PWWA) International Conference and Exhibit, held from October 27–29, 2025 at SMX Lanang Convention Center, Davao City.
“As far as water is concerned, it is really a problem worldwide — and also here in the Philippines. It is becoming worse. I hope the national government can address this because by 2030, if nothing is done, the problem of water will get worse,” said lawyer Vicente Huyas, a PWWA board officer, during the opening on October 28, echoing the shared concern of delegates and experts gathered for the three-day event.
Bringing together representatives from 10 to 15 countries, local and national water districts, utilities, LGUs, and private-sector innovators, the PWWA conference set its tone under the banner “Innovating Water Solutions: Sustainable Pathways for a Resilient Future.” It also served as a precursor to the upcoming 11th International Water Association (IWA)-Aspire Conference and Expo, to be hosted in Manila in October 2027, a landmark gathering expected to draw thousands of policymakers, researchers, and global water experts.
The state of Philippine water: Progress uneven, gaps persist
The Philippines has made measurable progress in expanding water access over the past decade, but experts caution that the country’s systems remain fragile, with wide disparities between urban and rural regions.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), 97.5 percent of households had access to at least basic drinking-water service in 2024, meaning water from improved sources that can be collected within 30 minutes. However, only 53.1 percent of families enjoyed safely managed drinking-water service, defined as water from improved sources, available on premises, and free from contamination.
The difference between those two figures, roughly half the country, highlights deep inequalities in water quality, reliability, and infrastructure. Access to safely managed water is highest in Metro Manila (85.5 percent) but drops dramatically in conflict-affected or rural regions such as the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm), where only 14.8 percent of families have such service.
Meanwhile, PSA data show that total freshwater withdrawals reached 93 billion cubic meters in 2024, with the national water-stress level at 27.9 percent, still within the FAO’s “low stress” range, but edging closer to critical levels as population growth, urbanization, and climate extremes accelerate.
A 2024 study published in Environmental Management and Sustainable Development applied a Freshwater Vulnerability Index (FVI) to the Philippines, giving it a score of 0.392, indicating moderate vulnerability due primarily to weak management capacity, uneven investment, and poor watershed protection. Regions in Luzon, including Central Luzon, CALABARZON, and Cagayan Valley, were identified as among the most water-stressed areas.
Call for collective action
“This year’s conference highlights the importance of exploring new solutions that allow water security for the Philippines,” said Neneth Javier, PWWA Executive Director. “In our view, establishing water security is essential in building resilient cities.”
Javier underscored that water security is not merely an engineering challenge, but a societal one—requiring the combined effort of the public sector, private industry, academia, and civil society.
“Water security requires a collective effort and commitment,” she added. “In this year’s PWWA, we hope that we can empower our audiences in sharing solutions that can help create a water-resilient Philippines amid rapid population and economic growth.”
Davao City’s water innovation push
Davao City served not just as the host of the 2025 PWWA Conference but also as a living case study of water management in transition. The city’s utility, the Davao City Water District (DCWD), one of the country’s largest and most technically advanced outside Metro Manila — is currently pursuing multiple projects aimed at diversifying supply and improving treatment systems.
In an ambush interview, DCWD spokesperson JC Duhaylungsod said the utility is open to forging international collaborations, particularly with European utilities and technology developers, as part of its efforts to meet the city’s growing water demand and advance system modernization.
Duhaylungsod shared that the agency is undertaking several modernization initiatives, such as digitizing its operations, strengthening water quality monitoring, and identifying new potential water sources. She added that DCWD also aims to integrate best practices in water management, conservation, and climate-resilient infrastructure through partnerships with global institutions.
DCWD’s major infrastructure undertaking with the AboitizInfra’s Apo Agua Infrastructura, the Davao City Bulk Water Supply Project (DCBWSP), is expected to significantly improve water supply reliability for Davao’s 1.8 million residents once fully operational. The project uses a surface water source from the Tamugan River and integrates advanced filtration and treatment technology.
The DCBWSP has been hailed by both PWWA and local officials as a model of public-private partnership (PPP) that can be replicated elsewhere in the Philippines, particularly in water-stressed provinces.
Exhibitors bring technology to the table
Among the more than 100 exhibitors at the PWWA event was Chrono Pipe Group Corporation, a Davao de Oro-based manufacturer of industrial water pipes and fittings. The company supplies materials to several utilities, including the Apo Agua Project, and used the event to highlight the importance of local manufacturing capacity in strengthening the country’s water infrastructure.
In an interview, Joselito Quintana, Chrono Pipe’s sales manager, said the exhibit allowed them to directly engage with both local and international buyers and utility operators.
“We manufacture locally, which means we can deliver faster and at lower cost for projects that aim to expand water services, especially in Mindanao,” he said in a mixed-language.
Chrono Pipe has recently begun testing high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes designed for smart monitoring integration, allowing real-time pressure and leak detection through embedded sensors. Such technologies, Quintana added, could significantly reduce water loss, which averages 24 to 26 percent nationwide according to the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA).
He emphasized that investing in locally produced, quality infrastructure components not only supports national manufacturing but also reduces dependence on imports for critical water projects.
The global dimension
The Davao conference is a precursor to the 11th IWA-Aspire Conference & Expo to be held in Manila in 2027, themed “Resilient Water Futures: Innovation, Inclusion, and Integrity.” Organized jointly by PWWA and IWA, the event is expected to draw over 2,000 participants from Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, positioning the Philippines as a hub for water-sector collaboration and innovation.
According to lawyer Huyas, the 2027 Aspire event will not just be a technical convention but a policy-shaping opportunity. “Some of the delegates here are bringing technologies on water, and on climate change [adaptation] and water purification systems. You will see there are so many new technologies which we must learn from,” he said.
A nation at the crossroads
Despite encouraging trends — 97.5 percent access to at least basic water, improved efficiency ratios, and a growing pipeline of public-private projects — the Philippine water sector remains fragile. A combination of climate vulnerability, infrastructure gaps, and governance fragmentation continues to threaten long-term water security.
The World Bank’s 2025 assessment on Water Security and Sanitation in East Asia warned that the Philippines’ urban water demand is projected to double by 2035, while available supply could drop by up to 25 percent due to watershed degradation and rising evaporation rates. Without major policy reforms, the country may face seasonal shortages in at least eight major cities, including Davao, Cebu, and Metro Manila.
This makes the work of organizations like PWWA all the more crucial — not merely as conveners of conferences, but as catalysts for collective action across agencies, LGUs, and private sectors. DEF