National Water Resources Board (Philippines)

The National Water Resources Board (NWRB) is the lead government agency for the water sector in the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

, regarding water resources

Water resources

Water resources are sources of water that are useful or potentially useful. Uses of water include agricultural, industrial, household, recreational and environmental activities. Virtually all of these human uses require fresh water....

and potable water; it is conferred with policy-making, regulatory and quasi-judicial functions within the Philippine government

Politics of the Philippines

The Politics of the Philippines takes place in an organized framework of a presidential, representative, and democratic republic whereby the president is both the head of state and the head of government within a pluriform multi-party system...

. The NWRB is an attached agency of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources

Department of Environment and Natural Resources (Philippines)

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for governing and supervising the exploration, development, utilization, and conservation of the country's natural resources.-History:The Department of Environment and Natural...

and responsible for ensuring the optimum exploitation, utilization, development, conservation and protection of the country's water resource, consistent with the principles of "Integrated Water Resource Management". The NWRB Board is composed of five cabinet secretaries, plus a representative from academia and the NWRB's executive director; the board is chaired by the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources.

History

The predecessor of the NWRB is the National Water Resources Council (“NWRC”), which was created in 1974 under Presidential Decree No. 424, otherwise known as the “Integrated Reorganization Plan”. It was subsequently renamed as NWRB pursuant to Executive Order No. 124-A. Under the said decree, the NWRB is tasked among others, to:

Coordinate and integrate water resource development activities of the country;

Formulate general criteria, methods and standards for data collection, project investigation, formulation, planning design and feasibility evaluation, and rules and regulations for the exploitation and optimum utilization of water resources;

Review and approve water resource development plans and programs of other agencies;

Undertake river basin surveys, inventories and appraisals, and develop comprehensive basin-wide plans of storage and control to maximize the conservation and multi-purpose use of water;

Undertake hydrologic surveys and establish, operate and maintain observation station networks and centralized water resources data center;

Conduct and/or promote special studies and researches with other government or agencies on related aspects of water resources development.

The NWRB is also tasked to advise the National Economic and Development Authority

National Economic and Development Authority (Philippines)

The National Economic and Development Authority , abbreviated as NEDA, is an independent cabinet-level agency of the Philippine government responsible for economic development and planning. It is headed by the President of the Philippines as chairman of the NEDA board, with the Secretary of...

(“NEDA”) on matters pertaining to water resources development projects and programs; and recommend general policies and guidelines and short/long range plans and programs for water resources development.

In 1976, Presidential Decree No. 1067, otherwise known as the “Water Code of the Philippines” was enacted. Based on the principles that: (a) “all water belongs to the State;” and (b) the State may allow the use or development of its waters by administrative concession,” the NWRB was instituted as a “water resource regulator” tasked to regulate and control the utilization, exploitation, development, conservation and protection of all water resources.

The specific functions of the NWRB, as a "Water Resource Regulator", include among others, (a) the issuance water permits for the appropriation, and use of waters; and (b) adjudication of disputes relating to the appropriation, utilization, exploitation, development, control and conservation, protection of waters.

In 1977, the Board of Power and Waterworks (BPW) was abolished pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 1206. The function of the BPW that were inherited from the Public Service Commission as regards waterworks systems, were later transferred to the NWRB, instituting the NWRB as an “economic regulator” of waterworks systems.

In 2002, the approval of tariffs for water districts was transferred to the NWRB from the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA), pursuant to Executive Order No. 123. In the same executive order, the membership of the NWRB Board was changed to its present composition.

History

See also