Department of Science and Technology

PHILIPPINE SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL

Eastern Visayas Campus
Pawing, Palo, Leyte
School Year 2019-2020

_____________________

IMPACTS OF WATER SHORTAGE ON BARANGAYS CABUYNAN,

MALAGUICAY, AND PICAS OF TANAUAN, LEYTE
C: Topic 1

____________________

A Research Paper
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements in English 5
Effective Communications for Pre-University Students

_____________________

Submitted by

Gomez, Eirene Jude, P.

Marquez, Harmone Felize, R.

_____________________

Submitted to

Mr. Dennis Bruce A. Lerion

Teacher in English 5

November 25, 2019

 CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

Background of the Study

Water accessibility is a vital proponent for human survival as it is used

to satisfy basic needs such as drinking, sanitation, and food production.

Furthermore, it also plays a critical role in the socio-economic development of

a nation as it is incorporated in livelihood activities such as crop irrigation,

livestock raising, and small-scale commercial activities in rural areas. Poor

water access has been associated with various water-related diseases, food

insecurity, lost productivity, and poor school attendance, especially among

women (Hall, et al., 2014). Therefore, access to clean drinking water and

sanitation was recognized as a basic human right by the United Nations in

2010.

Despite covering nearly 70% of the earth’s surface, water stands as a

limited resource as only 2.5% of this is freshwater. Even then, only 1% of this

is easily accessible, with much of it being trapped in glaciers and snowfields.

Therefore, only 0.007% of the planet’s water is available to supply the needs

of 6.8 billion human lives (National Geographic, n.d). As such, an estimated

4.2 billion people around the globe still lack access to safely managed

sanitation services, while 2.2 billion, comprising about 40% of the world’s

population, live without adequate access to basic drinking water services

(World Health Organization, 2017).

Research conducted by Srinivasan et al. (2012) revealed that the

global water scarcity can be attributed to factors brought about by

groundwater depletion, ecological destruction, drought-driven conflicts, unmet

subsistence needs, resource capture by elite, and water reallocation to

nature. It was then indicated in the researches of Gambe (2019) and Mkonda

(2015) that an insufficient water supply affects an area’s socio-economic

development as its residents, especially women, are entailed to spend more

time on water collection instead of engaging in other economic activities.

In the Philippines, approximately 9 out of 101 million inhabitants rely on

unimproved, unsafe, and unsustainable water resources. Furthermore, 19

million are recorded to still lack access to improved sanitation as of 2019.

Families which are not equipped with a safe and accessible water source are

often entailed to spend a significant amount of time and effort in collecting

water from alternative sources.

The Province of Leyte, located in Region VIII or Eastern Visayas, is

politically divided into 5 congressional districts. Furthermore, it is subdivided

into 3 cities and 4 municipalities, and is composed of 1,393 barangays.

Tanauan, Leyte is a 2nd Class Municipality in the Province of Leyte and

is politically divided into 54 barangays. As of 2015, it had a population of

55,021 in 13, 518 households (Philippine Statistics Authority, 2017). However,

out of these 54 barangays, only 25 are able to attain an adequate access to

safe drinking water through the services of the Leyte Metropolitan Water

District (LMWD). The remaining 29 barangays are then left to employ shallow

and unprotected dug wells as their sources for drinking water (Mazo, 2016).
 Thus, this study aims to assess the impacts of water shortage in three

barangays of Tanauan, Leyte, namely Barangay Cabuynan, Barangay

Malaguicay, and Barangay Picas.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to determine the impacts of water shortage on three

barangays in Tanauan, Leyte.

Specifically, it seeks to answer the following questions:

1. Why is there a case of water shortage in the following

barangays:

1.1 Cabuynan

1.2 Malaguicay

1.3 Picas

2. How do the households obtain water in the following

barangays:

2.1 Cabuynan

2.2 Malaguicay

2.3 Picas

3. How does erratic water supply socio-economically affect the

households?

4. What are the impacts of water shortage on the following

barangays of Tanauan, Leyte:

4.1 Cabuynan
 4.2 Malaguicay

4.3 Picas

Significance of the Study

The results obtained from this study would be of great benefit not only

to the Tanauan local government unit but to its residents, as well.

Leyte Metropolitan Water District (LMWD) – The results of this study

can provide additional knowledge about the nature and causes of the water

shortage in Tanauan, Leyte. Thus, this can aid in providing solutions towards

improving the water supply and distribution in the province.

Local Officials – This study will benefit the barangay officials by gaining

awareness of the water shortage, which is a current issue that is faced by the

people they are trying to serve.

Households – This study will help create awareness among the

residents of the barangays regarding the issue of water shortage and will help

foster a mentality that is able to manage water consumption while in scarce

times.

Future Researchers- The results of this study can benefit future

researchers by providing additional knowledge on the impacts that water

shortage can pose upon households. This can therefore, guide them in

conducting a study similar to this in the future.

Scope and Limitations

 This study aims to determine the impacts of water shortage on the

residents of the following barangays of Tanauan, Leyte: Malaguicay,

Cabuynan, and Picas. The aspects that will be looked into this study are the

causes of the water shortage, its socioeconomics effects on the people, and

the residents’ personal opinions regarding the subject. The study will be

conducted by surveying 40 residents who will be randomly chosen from each

barangay and will be done within a timeframe of two months.

Although the research has reached its aims, it has unavoidable

limitations.

For one, because of the time constraint, the study will only be

conducted to a limited sample size. This, in turn, may affect the overall results

of the study as it may not fully represent the true condition of the whole

population. Furthermore, the credibility of the study would be dependent upon

the integrity of the respondents while answering the survey.

Definition of Terms

To comprehend the discussion in this research, the following operation

and technical definitions are presented:

Barangay- the basic political unit and the smallest administrative region

in the Philippines

Impact- to have a strong effect on someone or something

Shortage- a state in which the supply of something needed cannot fully

satisfy the desire for it

 Water- a colorless, transparent, and odourless liquid which forms the

seas, lakes, rivers, and rain and is the basis of the fluids of living organisms

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Barrech, S., Ainuddin, S., & Najeebullah, N. (2018). Multi-Dimensional

Implication of Water Scarcity on Inhabitants of District Quetta,

Balochistan, Pakistan. Journal of Environmental Science and Public

Health, 2(3), 136-143. DOI: 10.26502/jesph.96120033

The authors, researchers from the University of Balochistan, assess

the implications of water scarcity on the inhabitants of Quetta District.

They employ a stratified random sampling method to select 400

agriculturists as respondents. Afterwards, data gathering is conducted

through focused group discussions and structured questionnaires. The

respondents’ opinions reveal that water scarcity and poverty are both

interrelated factors within the area as each scenario is said to lead to

the other. In addition, they find that this crisis abates the residents’ food

supplements as it negatively affects the area’s agriculture. Such

scenarios compel the population to migrate from their area of

cultivation, therefore retarding the promotion of education and

threatening the area’s peace. Similarly, the study of Kakar, et. al (2018)

utilizes both questionnaires and online sources for the collection of

their data. 55 farmers are selected as respondents through stratified

random sampling, while secondary data are collected from government

agencies. The study reveals that water shortages primarily result to a

 decline in the irrigation system, deterioration of health conditions, and

uncalled migration. Similar results are attained by both studies as they

are conducted in the same locality and have farmers as their chosen

respondents. Although, a high disparity is observed in the sample size

of both studies, this could be compensated by the fact that Kakar, et. al

(2018) also utilize secondary sources. Both studies are beneficial to

this research as they provide an insight on the possible impacts of

water shortage and also give ideas on data gathering strategies.

Chebil, A., Frija, A., Makhlouf, M., Thabet, C., & Jebari, S. (2019). Effects of

Water Scarcity on the Performances of the Agricultural Sector and

Adaptation Strategies in Tunisia. DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.83568

Gambe, T.R. (2019). The Gender Dimensions of Water Poverty: Exploring

Water Shortages in Chitungwiza. Journal of Poverty, 23(2), 105-122.

doi:10.1080/10875549.2018.1517399

Hall, R., Koppen, B.V., & Houweling, E.V. (2014). The Human Right to Water:

The Importance of Domestic and Productive Water Rights. Sci Eng

Ethics, 20(4), 849-868. doi: 10.1007/s11948-013-9499-3

Kakar, Z., Shah, S.M., & Khan, M.A. (2018). Scarcity of water resources in

rural area of Quetta District; challenges and preparedness. IOP

Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 414(01), 1-13.

DOI: 10.1088/1757-899X/414/1/012013.

Kimutai, J. C., Evans, W., & Peter, E. (2018). Assessment of Water Shortages

and Coping Measures at Household Level in the Informal Settlements

of Eldoret Municipality, Uasin Gishu County, Kenya. Journal of

Environmental Science, Toxicology and Food Technology, 12(3), 57-

71. DOI: 10.9790/2402-1203035771

The authors, researchers from the Catholic University of Eastern

Africa, examine the case of water shortage exhibited at informal

settlements in Eldoret, Kenya. They employ a descriptive research

design by utilizing questionnaires, interview schedules, observations,

and existing information as main tools for data collection. The study

finds the limited availability is exhibited by the municipal water services,

yet majority of the respondents rely on it for water supply. Data

analysis reveals that this water crisis is mainly attributed to factors such

as high population growth, low water pressure, overexploitation of

water resources, and illegal connections. This, consequently, poses

negative impacts upon the informal settlers as it leads to waterborne

disease outbreaks, impaired economic activities, and lowered crop

production. However, some positive effects are also observed as the

unemployed come to earn money through the selling of water

containers in the slums. This, in turn, paves the way for new business

opportunities. Parallel to this, Ngima (2011) studies the same issue by

employing questionnaires to gather data from 384 respondents. She

finds that water shortages result to only negative impacts as much

money and time tend to be spent on acquiring water instead of doing

other productive activities. These opposing results may have been

influenced by the differences in the site areas as one was conducted in

informal settlements. Furthermore, the study of Ngima (2011) includes

water vendors in its taget respondents, thus possibly contributing to its

 negative results. These results would be beneficial to this study as they

provide a broader scope on the impacts of water shortage. These also

encourage the study to identify if water shortages can indeed pose

positive impacts.

Lapong, E., Fujihara, M. () Water Resources in the Philippines: An Overview

of its Uses, Management, Problems, and Prospects. Journal of

Rainwater Catchment Systems (14)1, pp. 57-67. DOI:

10.7132/jrcsa.KJ00004978343

Machethe, E. (2011). The causes and impact of water shortage on the

households of Ga-Kgapane Township in the Limpopo Province.

Retrieved from www.academia.edu

Mancosu, N., Snyder, R., Kyriakakis, G., & Spano, D. (2015). Water Scarcity

and Future Challenges for Water Production. Water, 2015 (7), 975-992.

DOI: 10.3390/w7030975

Mason, L. (2013). Seasonal Water Insecurity in Urban Philippines: Examining

the Role of Gender, Resources, and Context. Retrieved from:

http://openscholarship.wustl.edu/etd/1149/

The author is an associate professor of the University of Pennsylvania

and St. Louis Washington University, and in this study, she discusses

the water crisis within the households of Baguio City, Philippines. This

study makes use of cluster sampling method and chooses one

neighbourhood where archival research, informal interviews, and

randomly-sampled household surveys are gathered. In this study, the

nature and extent of water insecurity in Baguio City are documented

 according to the dimensions of quantity, quality and accessibility of

water for everyday household and individual use. It is revealed that

water scarcity varies between the households but is generally

exacerbated during dry season. In particular, she notes that there are

limited associations between gender in the household water insecurity

and finds that both genders are involved and affected in water-related

tasks. This contrasts the study of Mkonda (2015) and Gambe (2019),

which report that women tend to be more affected as they are often

delegated to do water-related tasks. The study is able to document

water insecurity heterogeneities existing within a population which are

often masked by municipal, regional, and national statistics; however, it

has a weakness as it is conducted during a time period with

unexpected rainier-than-usual dry season, which might have improved

the household condition. This study exemplifies the current study being

undertaken and will be used as a guide for providing a perspective on

the impacts of water scarcity in the Philippine context.

Mazo, G. (2016). Safe Drinking Water a Realized Dream: A Case Study of

Tanauan, Leyte. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Approach

and Studies, 3(5), 61-69. Retrieved from

http://ijmas.com/upcomingissue/ 08.05.2016

The author, a researcher from Leyte Normal University, explains how

the governance in Tanauan, Leyte, at the time of study, relates to the

problem of water scarcity. The study details the role of the leaders in

fulfilling a project aimed to counter water scarcity within the affected

areas within the municipality. It utilizes a descriptive method and

 conducts interviews with selected residents, together with the local

chief executive and its program implementers. However, the

manuscript lacks the specifics of its methodology and does not show

definite or standardized questionnaires for which the interviews’

queries were organized. Its findings show that the barangay residents

and barangay leaders exhibit mixed reactions towards the project,

ranging from thrill and excitement to doubt and pessimism. Meanwhile,

there is a sense of fulfilment among the program implementers. This

relates to a similar study by Raymundo (2015), where good

governance and cooperation between the different government

sectors, local government units, and households are shown to

minimize the economic problem of water scarcity. The findings in this

study contribute to the current research by providing a context and a

background regarding the water scarcity in Tanauan, Leyte, which is

the municipality where the present research is focused on.

Mkonda, M. Y. (2015). Assessment of Water Shortage and its Implications to

Gender Role in Semi-arid Areas in Mvumi Ward, Dodoma in Tanzania.

Arts and Social Sciences Journal, 6(5). doi: 10.4172/2151-

6200.1000142

The author, a researcher from Southwest University, utilizes a

questionnaire, PRA’s, and documentary review to assess the impacts

of water shortage on the social life of residents in Mvumi ward,

Dodoma, Tanzania. His findings show that about 70% of the rural

communities are severely suffering from water shortage crisis. As a

result, the locals spend much time in fetching water instead of

 engaging in other economic activities. Particularly, the women tend to

be more vulnerable and stressed to this problem. Thus, the research

finds it necessary to provide additional water services to the rural

communities to alleviate this crisis. In relation to this, Gambe (2019)

utilizes unstructured interviews and observations to determine the

effects of water poverty on women. He finds that women, at least in

married or partnered households, tend to experience water hardships

to a greater extent than men due to gendered domestic responsibilities.

The limitations of this study, however, was that only 24 respondents

were taken, thus it may not exhibit a holistic representation of the

population. These results provide further information on the possible

impacts that water shortages may have on the residents of rural areas

and barangays such as Tanauan.

Mnisi, R. (2011). An Assessment of the Water and Sanitation Problems in

New Forest, Bushbuckridge Local Municipality, South Africa. Retrieved

from www.ufs.ac.za

National Geographic. (n.d.). Freshwater Crisis. Retrieved from

https://www.nationalgeographic.com

Ngima, W.P. (2011). Impacts of Water Shortage in Guthairi Ward, Kiambu

County, Kenya. Retrieved from www.semanticscholar.org

Philippine Statistics Authority. (2017). Special Release- POPCEN- Tanauan.

Retrieved from http://rsso088.psa.gov.ph

Raymundo, R. B. (2015). Challenges to water resource management :

ensuring adequate supply and better water quality for the present and
 future generations. DLSU Research Congress 2015, 3(1), 1–8.

Retreived from www.dlsu.edu.ph

The author, a researcher from the School of Economics in De La Salle

University, explains about water resource management and provides

insights for policy recommendations that can improve waste water

treatment and water quality, eliminate water pollution, protect

watershed areas, and promote the use of water harvesting facilities by

both households and firms. It utilizes archival research and follows a

descriptive approach in tackling the variables on water supply and

demand. The study finds it necessary for the price of water to reflect its

true cost of production and distribution to allow for improved water

quality. Provisions for an interrupted water supply improves household

conditions while still supporting the continued expansion of economic

activities. This study complements the research of Mazo (2016) as they

both show perspectives of the governing leaders. Raymundo’s

research emphasizes the participation of the government in tackling

this growing problem, while Mazo’s case study addressed that the

characteristics of transformational leadership are evident in the actions

of the local chief executive in securing the funds for the water project.

Overall, this study by Raymundo helps the present study by providing

additional information focused on the economic perspective of water

scarcity.

Selelo, L.R., Madigele P.K., Ntaka, P., & Moetedi, K. (2017). The Effects of

Extended Water Supply Disruptions on the Operations of SMEs. South

African Business Review, 21(1), 480-500. Retrieved from

www.semanticscholar.org

The authors, researchers from the University of Botswana, analyse the

impacts of water supply disruptions on the operations of small and

medium enterprises (SME) in Maun, Botswana. They utilize a mixed-

method approach for their research design through the collection,

analysis, and integration of both qualitative and quantitative data.

Questionnaires are distributed and face-to-face interviews are

conducted with the representatives of 40 SMEs. Statistical analysis is

then conducted through the Shapiro-Wilk test, Chi-square test, and

Spearman correlations. The study finds that all of the respondents

depend greatly on consistent water supply for the production of goods

and services. In fact, 90% state that they use water for cooking, while

42.5% indicate that this is essential for maintaining swimming pools

and recreation. As such, it is reveals that 81% find that extended water

supply disruptions negatively affects their profits as it forces them to

lose clients. Similarly, Machethe (2011) investigates on the topic by

distributing structured interview questionnaires to 40 respondents. She

finds that water shortages negatively impact an area’s livelihood and

economy as it poses a hindrance to water-dependent agricultural and

industrial productions. Although both studies attain the same results,

the methods used by Selelo, et. al (2017) appear to be more

advantageous as using a mixed-method approach for data collection

provides a comprehensive analysis of the research problem that one

method cannot fully investigate. These are beneficial to this study as

 they offer choices for data collection methods. Furthermore, their

results provide an insight on possible causes and impacts of water

shortage.

Srinivasan, V., Lambin, E. F., Gorelick, S. M., Thompson B. H., & Rozelle, S.

(2012). The nature and causes of the global water crisis: Syndromes

from a meta-analysis of coupled human-water studies. Water

Resources Research, 48(1), pp. 1-16. doi:10.1029/2011WR011087

Tarrass, F. & Benjelloun, M. (2012). The effects of water shortages on health

and human development. Perspectives in Public Health, 132(5), pp.

240-244. DOI: 10.1177/1757913910391040

United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (2008). Challenges

of Water Scarcity: A Business Case for Financial Institutions. Retrieved

from:https://www.unepfi.org/publications/ecosystems-publications/

challenges-of-water-scarcity-a-business-case-for-financial-institutions/

The authors and researchers form the United Nations Environment

Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) and the Stockholm

International Water Institute (SIWI) discuss the growing problem of

water scarcity on the perspective of financial sectors. Furthermore,

they also provide a compilation of water scarcity reports focused on

developing countries such as Africa and Latin America. They also

present the possible challenges of water scarcity and direct this on

financial institutions to encourage awareness and participation through

the tools of risk-management, dialogue with business partners as well

as national and local governments. Similarly, in a study by Raymundo

 (2015), the participation of the higher-ups and leaders is also

highlighted in mitigating this water problem. The study of Mazo (2013)

also agrees with the sentiment of involving good governance in solving

this issue. This case is limited to the context of the aforementioned

countries and while the data analyzed in the report may be found in

many regions of the world, there might be analysis that are not

applicable to certain localities. Overall, this business case helps the

present study by providing an insight on the probable impacts of water

shortage on business firms and on how this problem can be coped

with.

Utsev, J.T. & Aho, M. I. (2012). Water Shortage and Health Problems in

Benue State-Nigeria: Impacts and Prospects for Solutions.

International Journal of Scientific and Technology Research, 1(8), 79-

85. Retrieved from www.ijstr.org

The authors, researchers from the University of Agriculture in Nigeria,

assess the impacts of water shortage within the Tse-Agberagba,

Akpagher and Ibbilaalukpo communities of Benue State, Nigeria. They

utilize questionnaires and field survey forms to gather data from 100

respondents. Specifically, they inquire on the various uses of water and

the effects of its shortage in the community. Based on their surveys,

the researchers find that the main water sources in the area include

streams, rain, boreholes, and wells. It also discovers that there is a

high prevalence of water shortage as 95% of the settlements indicate

the absence of water supply facilities. This crisis is found to occur as a

result of population increase, decrease in well capacity, and increased

 water demands. This, in turn, forces the residents to turn to streams

and wells which are unsafe sources of potable water, therefore

resulting to the rise of waterborne diseases. Similarly, a review by

Tarrass & Benjelloun (2018) reveals that water shortages stand as a

major obstacle to public health and development. Through existing

data from the World Health Organization, they find that approximately

1.6 million die annually due to inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene.

Thus, both studies implore for improved methods on water

conservation and a heightened budget allocation for health services.

Both studies may have exhibited the same results as it is a given that

water is an essential resource for health and sanitation. Thus, a

shortage in its supply would pose detrimental effects on these aspects.

These results can aid this study as they provide a concrete example of

the impacts of water shortages.

World Health Organization (2017). 1 in 3 people globally do not have access

to safe drinking water. Retrieved from http://www.who.int

Yin, Y., Tang, Q., Liu, X., & Zhang, X. (2017). Water scarcity under various

socio-economic pathways and its potential effects on food production in

the Yellow River basin. Hydrology Earth System Science, 21(2), 791-

804. DOI:10.5194/hess-21-791-2017