STANDARDS FOR DRINKABLE TAP WATER

STANDARDS FOR DRINKABLE TAP WATER

As it is supposed to be, if tap water is tested as potable, then it should also be drinkable. But is that always the case? I do not think so, and perhaps the majority of Filipinos also do not think so either. If potable equals drinkable, then why do many households still buy bottled water by the gallon?

Perhaps this is a class issue. The upper class will not drink tap water, no matter how “potable” the label says. The middle class may drink it when budgets are tight, but when extra money is available, they buy bottled water. The lower class, however, do not have the luxury of choice. If tap water flows from the pipe, they drink it—trusting the system, or at least hoping it is safe enough.

And that is where the real issue lies: trust.

On paper, we already have more than enough laws, regulations, and standards to ensure water safety. The Department of Health (DOH) enforces the Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water (PNSDW). These standards are comprehensive: no harmful bacteria such as E. coli, acceptable taste and odor, safe chemical levels (like lead and arsenic), and even checks for radiation. If water passes all these, it is deemed “fit for human consumption.”

But pardon me if I sound skeptical. Systems may look airtight on paper, but somewhere along the way, inefficiency—or worse, corruption—may crack the chain. A lab test is only as good as the sampling, and enforcement is only as strong as the political will of the local government.

So how do we rebuild trust?

My proposal is simple: make water testing data public and accessible in real time. In this digital age, it should be compulsory for both the DOH and the LGUs to publish their test results regularly on their websites, social media pages, or mobile apps. Imagine being able to check the quality of your barangay’s tap water from your cellphone, the same way you check the weather forecast.

Better yet, why not use technology itself as a watchdog? Internet of Things (IoT) sensors can be installed in water systems to monitor turbidity, chlorine levels, and possible contamination continuously. Data could then be transmitted live to DOH dashboards and LGU portals, where citizens can see for themselves if their tap water is truly safe.

Would that not solve the trust issue? At the very least, it gives people the chance to verify instead of simply believing.

Another layer of accountability could be achieved if DOH and LGUs publish their findings separately, as a kind of check-and-balance system. If the numbers don’t match, that should raise red flags for investigation.

But there is also the question of access. According to UNICEF and WHO, only about 47.9% of Filipinos have access to safe drinking water. That means more than half of our population still rely on unsafe, untreated, or inconsistently tested sources. To put it bluntly, millions of Filipinos are forced to gamble with their health daily.

So let me pose some hard questions:

• If water is tested as potable, does it also taste good enough for people to drink without hesitation?
  
  

• If bottled water has become a multibillion-peso industry in the Philippines, what does that say about our trust in tap water?
  
  

• Should we not demand more transparency from our water concessionaires, water districts, and LGUs, who often hide behind technical reports nobody reads?
  
  

In Metro Manila, concessionaires like Manila Water and Maynilad are monitored by the MWSS Regulatory Office, with the DOH and city health departments involved in sampling. On paper, this looks like solid oversight. But outside Metro Manila, many barangay-level systems lack the same rigorous monitoring. And when a contamination incident happens—say, a cholera outbreak—news breaks only when people get sick.

We cannot afford to treat water testing as an afterthought. Safe, drinkable water is not a privilege; it is a right.

So here is my suggestion for a long-term fix:

1. Mandatory transparency. All water test results, from barangay to national level, must be publicized online, in real time.
   
   

2. IoT monitoring. Use low-cost digital sensors to measure water quality continuously, not just during scheduled checks.
   
   

3. Citizen access. Create a mobile app or SMS-based service where anyone can check the potability of their water supply instantly.
   
   

4. Accountability audits. DOH and LGUs should publish results independently to verify one another’s claims.
   
   

5. Equity measures. The government must close the access gap so that safe, potable, and yes—drinkable—tap water flows into every household, not just into wealthier neighborhoods.
   
   

The bottom line is this: until trust is rebuilt, Filipinos will keep buying bottled water. But if we could combine science, transparency, and technology, perhaps someday we could confidently drink straight from the tap—without hesitation, without fear, and without doubt.

And that, for me, is the true standard for drinkable tap water.

Ramon Ike V. Seneres, www.facebook.com/ike.seneres
iseneres@yahoo.com, senseneres.blogspot.com

01-29-2026