“O.H.A.W.

(Operation Hydraulics And Waterworks)”

I. INTRODUCTION

Northern Samar, located some 700 kilometers of the Philippine capital of Manila, is
considered the island of Luzon’s gateway to the Visayas and Mindanao. Poverty incidence is
high in this province. The National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) estimates that 41.7
percent of the total families in the province earn less than Php 7,017 a month, which is how
much an average family of five needs to stay out of poverty. (Tonog, 2015)
Agriculture is the main source of livelihood. Residents of this province are mostly
coconut and rice farmers. They take pride in their town being labeled the province’s rice granary,
but the water situation also causes grave problems in irrigation.
According to Jacob (2006), only approximately 14% of the rural population has access to
safe water. Contamination of drinking water remains a problem in rural areas where deep well,
common faucets and sometimes water direct from streams or springs are the available sources
which does not undergo proper water treatment before it is consumed. Records of Northern
Samar provincial office show that out of more than 110,000 households in Northern Samar, only
some 80,000 have access to safe drinking water. The province’s access to water is also way
below the MDG target of 86.5 percent by 2015, and actually only equals the Philippines’ baseline
rate for access to water in 1990. (Soriano, 2012) The problem with water sources in the province,
like water pumps and springs, is that it is hard to determine their continued potability. They may
be safe for a time but not every time. In the descriptive research of Tonong and Poblete (2015),
findings revealed that most water sources in Laoang, Northern Samar were within the
permissible limits in terms of color, odor, pH, total dissolved solids, salinity, and nitrite. All
water samples were positive for fecal coliforms or E coli. Therefore, their study concluded that
all water sources in the said area are not safe and not potable.(Tonog and Poblete, 2015)
In 2010 and 2011, results of the morbidity reports for water-borne diseases from Rural
Health Unit in several cities and barangays in Northern Samar and in hospital were alarming.
(Soriano, 2012) Areas like Catubig, Laoang, and Barangay Vigo, Yapas and Tinoblan in Northern
Samar had the most number of water-borne diseases, such as diarrhea, cases. The incidence of
waterborne diseases is widespread: approximately one in four children die before turning five;
48% of these deaths result from water related diseases (Jacob, 2006).Moreover, acute
gastroenteritis, cholera and typhoid fever also ranked first. There were 361 reported cases of
diarrhea and 282 typhoid cases based on figures from the field health service information report
of the province. More than 524 people out of 100,000 are bound to get sick of the said disease,
based on 2010 numbers from the provincial health office. These actual figures could be higher if
there are no sufficient programs that would cater and solve the water system and sanitation of
Northern Samar. (Soriano, 2012)
Improvement of the water and sanitation situation in Northern Samar will be the driving
force for sustainable development and the eradication of poverty and hunger and indispensable
for human health and welfare. These researchers will propose a program entitled “O.H.A.W.
(Operation Hydraulics And Waterworks)” for the betterment of Northern Samar. O.H.A.W. aims
to provide sustainable access to safe water for the said province. Lastly, this program will also
encourage a social change among the residents of Northern Samar towards their attitude in
conserving water and sanitation.

II. OBJECTIVES

These researchers will develop a program with the aim to give 60% of the population
access to adequate and safe water within the next 10 years in order to attain sustainability and
community development. Part of this program in the water sector for the first 4 years will be
implemented by TARA foundation with the support from the local government of Northern
Samar. Other elements of the program will continue to be implemented by TARA foundation or
other supporting partners such as United Nations agencies, donors, and NGOS. The entire
program will be overseen and monitored by the local government and TARA foundation to
ensure consistency, coordination in planning and to facilitate TARA foundation in implementing
their national policies as they develop. Therefore, close donor coordination among government,
donors, and implementing agencies is essential to strengthen partnership and to reach the targets
set for the water and sanitation sector.
The overall objective is to expand the coverage of improved water supply and sanitation
facilities to underserved populations, especially to poor and remote areas, and to improve health
and hygiene practices related to waterborne and sanitation diseases. The O.H.A.W. project will:
 (i) strengthen participating communities’ capacity and capability to plan, co-finance,
implement, manage, operate, and maintain improved water supply and sanitation
facilities;
(ii) To increase access to safe water and sanitation facilities in all states throughout
Northern Samar and;
(iii) increase hygiene education through awareness campaigns;
(iv) develop the capacity and capability of a wide range of sectoral support organizations,
such as nongovernment organizations/community-based organizations, to provide
efficient and cost-effective support to communities and local authorities; and
(v) support the implementation of the National Water Supply Sector Policy 1998 and the
Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Strategy and Action Plan

III. MONITORING

To ensure that O.H.A.W. project and subprojects are managed efficiently and that project
benefits are maximized and reach target groups, a M&E (Management and Executing) program
is included in the framework of O.H.A.W’s project performance management system (PPMS).
PPMS activities will be conducted periodically to gather information from multiple sources to
determine whether inputs have rendered expected benefits to the target population. The PPMS
will also seek to detect any deficiencies and discrepancies between the plan and execution of the
project so that timely corrections can be made to improve resource efficiency, benefits,
outcomes, and impacts. Indicators to be monitored have been formulated and agreed upon with
the Executing Agency. Selected indicators pertain to physical progress and project impact with
disaggregated data to demonstrate benefits to the poor and institutional reform activities. The
Project Management Team will gather baseline physical and socioeconomic data in each of the
cities and barangays in Northern Samar, submit a detailed implementation plan for monitoring
performance, and prepare benchmark information for O.H.A.W.’s review and concurrence 3
months after work begins in a particular location within the province. Thereafter, the PM will
submit annual M&E reports to O.H.A.W. throughout project implementation.