Lecturer Nazia Hussain’s water study cited in a budget hearing in the Philippines Senate
Lecturer Nazia Hussain’ｓ study on water issues of urban poor was cited in a Senate budget hearing with the DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources).
On Nov 30, 2023, the water study (Hussain and Chaves 2023) was cited in a budget hearing in the Philippines Senate. This nationally televised hearing focused on the programs and projects of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for the fiscal year 2024.
The issue of urban water shortages resulting from climate change and securing additional water sources to prevent water crises was a part of the discussion. In 2019, Metro Manila, the capital city and major contributor to the GDP, suffered severe water shortages due to poor rainfalls linked with El-Niño. The 2019 crisis has pushed the government to consider additional water sources for urban water supply.
During the discussion, Senator Risa Hontiveros asked if the DENR Water Resources Management Office (DENR-WRMO) could explain why the effects of the 2019 water crisis were disproportionate, affecting urban poor populations more than the rest of the city (Hussain and Chaves 2023). Given that El Niño is currently severely affecting the Philippines, she asked if the DENR-WRMO and the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) could adopt measures to cushion the blow of the El Niño-linked shortages on the urban poor in Metro Manila. Furthermore, that people working in the government ought to consider whether continuing commercialization and privatization of the water service in Metro Manila was driving deep inequities regarding water access in the city.