The FAO-ESCAP pilot project on national water visions. From vision ...

To obtain the views and ideas from as wide a selection of concerned stakeholders as possible
from the many subsectors and institutions that employ not only water professionals but also
social scientists involved in the water sector, questionnaires on mapping were sent out to
some 300 potential participants several months before the meeting. Those who responded
were taken as participants to the meeting. <strong>The</strong> questionnaire listed all the possible issues in
IWRM as well as the cross-sectoral issues in the other water subsectors that are considered
relevant to the Philippines. <strong>The</strong> questions were framed in such a manner as to determine,
among other things, which of the 62 issues in IWRM:
• would need strategic assistance and in what form, with ranking in order of
importance;
• may be addressed by available service providers or expertise in the country; and
• may be addressed by the associated programmes or service providers being developed
by GWP.
<strong>The</strong> results of the completed questionnaires were analysed and the issues ranked according to
their average score. <strong>The</strong> participants in the meeting were divided into four groups and were
requested to validate the results of the initial survey to arrive at a consensus on the priority
issues through a process of grouping and regrouping similar ideas. Thus, the factors needed to
achieve the vision – the “driving forces” – were identified. <strong>The</strong>y served as input in the
development of a framework for action. Validation results show that the Philippine need for
strategic assistance revolves around four issues: standards setting, regulation, data
management, and allocation. In other words, there is a need for assistance in developing a
strong institutional framework which will resolve conflicts arising from these issues, i.e.
allocation and use, tariff, and quality, and promote policies for a more equitable and efficient
use of water.
<strong>The</strong> vision statement for the water sector endorsed by the participants to the meeting reads:
“By the year 2025, water resources in the Philippines are to be used efficiently, allocated
equitably and managed in a sustainable way.” Participants identified six driving forces that
are necessary to achieve such a vision. <strong>The</strong>se are grouped under the following general
factors:
• Demographic: population growth, urbanization, migration patterns
• Social: lifestyles, cultural preferences, poverty
• Economic: economic policies, water infrastructure, industrialization
• Environmental: overexploitation, pollution, climatic change
• Technological: water use efficiency, water pollution, drought-, pest- and salt-resistant
crops
• Governance: institutional reform, stakeholders’ participation
<strong>The</strong> framework for action to achieve the national water sector vision in 2025 for the
foregoing driving forces is as follows:
• Demographic
- Maintaining sustainable population growth.
- Establishing the population carrying capacity of the ecosystems and natural resources base.
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