The Water Security for Resilient Economic Growth and Stability (Be Secure) Project in the Philippines is a four-year activity that seeks to promote good governance and build capacity for long-term water security, improve access to water and wastewater treatment services, and build more resilient communities.

At the national level, the project’s activities focus on strengthening water sector regulatory reform. For local and regional activities, the project works with local government units and water service providers at the watershed scale to improve capacities for integrating climate change into local planning and the provision of water supply and wastewater treatment services. Be Secure closely coordinates with the Government of the Philippines, both national and local government units, and other key counterparts including water service providers (public and private) and nongovernmental organizations. Be Secure also works in partnership with academic institutions as centers of excellence that can sustain project initiatives.

ACTIVITIES

Increasing sustainable access to water supply and wastewater services. Be Secure facilitates stakeholder dialogues and supports policy reform initiatives designed to increase government accountability on service delivery and improve water sector performance. Challenges within the entire value chain of water supply service provision will be addressed, from the source water supplying domestic water systems to sustainable operations of the services themselves. The focus is on providing new water connections and wastewater treatment services, and strengthening the institutional structure, governance, management, regulation, and operation of water service providers and the government agencies that support them in a way that catalyzes larger financial flows, and ensures the viability of high quality services over time.

Increasing resilience to climate-related water stress and hydrologic extremes. Be Secure works on strengthening the analysis, communication, and use of water resources and climate data by decision-makers to increase resilience. It also focuses on improving climate change and disaster risk reduction inputs to planning at the city level, and supporting disaster recovery at the local level following extreme hydrological events such as Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in Leyte. The Project is improving understanding of long-term water security issues and options, and mainstreaming of integrated water resources management into water supply and wastewater treatment services, policy, planning and investment. Public awareness and support for sustainable use and consumption of water resources are also being increased.

RESULTS

At the end of four years, Be Secure is expected to increase the access of at least 1.2 million people to improved water supply and increase the capacity of at least 1,575 stakeholders to adapt to climate change impacts.

For fiscal year 2015 (October 2014 to September 2015), Be Secure has:

• Provided 229,677 people with access to an improved drinking water source,
• Provided 123,186 people with access to an improved sanitation facility,
• Improved the capacity of 1,804 stakeholders to adapt to the impacts of climate variability, and
• Leveraged $6.1 million for improved water and sanitation and $2.5 million for climate change as a result of U.S. Government assistance.

GOAL

To improve water security to support resilient and stable economic growth in the Philippines

OBJECTIVES

• Strengthen the enabling environment for sustainable service delivery
• Strengthen the capacity of water supply and wastewater treatment service providers to expand coverage and improve services
• Mobilize water sector financing
• Strengthen the collection, analysis and sharing of water and climate data
• Reduce risks from climate-related disasters
• Improve capacity for ensuring long-term water security