MANILA - The World Bank called for stronger national government support to achieve universal access to safe water and basic sanitation during its semi-annual Philippines Economic Update forum on Thursday.

Universal access to safe water and sanitation is one of the 17 sustainable development goals of the United Nations intended to be achieved by 2030.

The report showed that less than half of the country's population has access to safe water while just over sixty percent has sanitation access. In comparison, the average access to safe water and sanitation in East Asia Pacific stands at 74 percent and 69 percent, respectively.

Water scarcity and unsanitary conditions are associated with illnesses, malnutrition, and childhood stunting, which almost a third of Filipino children suffer from.

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Overlapping regulation issues, financing, and sustainability of raw water sources constrain local government units and water concessionaires in achieving water and sanitation goals, World Bank senior water supply and sanitation specialist Maria Fiorella Fabella said.

She pushed for integrated water resource management mandates and policies, reasonable tariffs and subsidies to service providers, and higher participation from the private sector to address these challenges.

In April, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. created the Water Resources Management Office (WRMO) under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) through Executive Order 22.

DENR undersecretary and WRMO head Carlo Primo David said that a significant amount of water assets locked for irrigation have now been opened for other purposes.

"In October, we unlocked this huge resource by converting all National Irrigation Administration (NIA) assets and water rights to multi-purpose use. The water that we are talking about comprises 70 percent of the water in the country which is now open for bulk supply, potable water, aquaculture, hydropower, floating solar, ecotourism, and so on and so forth," he explained during a discussion panel in the forum.

His office is now looking into low-impact development of protected areas and national parks, which are under the protection of DENR, that may be significant water sources.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has also been contributing to the safe water and sanitation efforts of the government, citing a memorandum of agreement with NIA establishing Kalsada Tungo sa Patubigan.

"The program aims to implement small water impounding projects an small river improvement projects and service and facilities in the production areas of NIA," DPWH secretary Manuel Bonoan said in his keynote speech during the forum.

"Likewise, DPWH had been coordinating with the WRMO now in pursuing water convergence programs integrating irrigation, flood control, and water supply," he added.